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DRAMATIC  STORIES /or 
READING  AND  ACTING 


BY 


ADA    M.    SKINNER 


ST.   AGATHA  SCHOOL,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI  CHICAGO 


.v^^^ 

u^^', 

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Copyright,  1914.  by 
ADA  M.   SKINNER. 


Copyright,  1914,  in  Great  Britain. 

DRAMATIC   stories    FOR   READING  AND   ACTING. 
E.  P.    I 


Go,  little  book,  and  wish  to  all. 
Flowers  in  the  garden,  meat  in  the  hall, 
A  living  river  by  the  door, 
A  nightingale  in  the  sycamore. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


376372 


INTRODUCTION 

Learning  to  read  is  more  than  learning  to  recog- 
nize and  pronounce  printed  words.  Reading  in  a 
listless  manner  is  a  dull  and  unprofitable  exercise.  In 
teaching  children  to  read,  the  good  primary  teacher 
seeks,  therefore,  by  furnishing  an  incentive  through 
interesting  material,  and  by  stimulating  intelligent  and 
reasoned  activity,  to  prevent  discouragement  and  to 
banish  ennui.  Hence  the  value  of  selections  that  are 
dramatic  in  quality,  and,  to  some  extent,  dramatic  in 
form  ;  for  they  encourage  the  children  to  read  as  if 
they  were  participants  in  the  action  of  the  story. 
Such  material  satisfies  the  child's  love  of  action,  stim- 
ulates his  imagination,  and,  by  keeping  his  faculties 
alert,  helps  him  to  read  with  understanding  and  with 
intelligent  inflection.  Thus  the  gap  between  the 
spoken  language  of  his  daily  life  and  the  printed  lan- 
guage of  the  page  is  bridged  over,  and  reading  be- 
comes to  him  a  real  way  of  acquiring  and  conveying 
ideas. 

Like  many  other  good  modern  ideas  in  education, 
the  dramatic  work  in  the  schools  has  often  been  car- 
ried to  a  ridiculous  excess.  Dramatization  presup- 
poses a  certain  emphasis,  a  certain  heightening  of 
eflfects.      But  the  school  is  not  a  training-ground  for 

5 


6  ,  •  INTRQDUCTION 

the  stage ;  and  the  dramatic  exaggeration  in  good 
reading  should  fall  below  that  of  the  stage,  and  even 
below  the  more  exciting  passages  in  real  life.  Good 
reading  suggests  the  action  and  the  emotion ;  it  does 
not  mimic  or  reproduce  them.  It  does  not  call  for 
shouting,  for  fierce  gesticulation,  for  violent  action ; 
if  it  avoids,  on  the  one  hand,  dull  and  lifeless  mono- 
tones, it  also  avoids,  on  the  other  hand,  all  boisterous- 
ness  and  affectation.  In  short,  the  school  is  not  the 
place  for  melodrama  or  for  the  abandonment  of  those 
restraints  that  indicate  good  breeding.  Such  excesses 
do  not  educate. 

The  stories  in  the  present  volume  are  admirably 
chosen  and  admirably  told.  They  are  classics,  by 
virtue  of  their  place  either  in  well-known  folklore  or 
in  the  books  that  all  educated  people  know.  They 
are  dramatic  in  quality  because  they  are  full  of  action, 
because  the  action  is  steadily  developed  in  the  dia- 
logue, and  because  the  dialogue  leads  up  to  a  climactic 
situation  that  is  interesting  in  itself  Whether  acted 
or  merely  read  —  and  it  is  properly  within  the  author*s 
plan  that  they  may  be  handled  in  either  way  —  the 
dramatic  quahty  of  these  stories  will  make  itself  felt. 
They  are  free  from  the  driveling  emptiness  and  mean- 
ingless conversation  that  leads  nowhither ;  and  they 
are  equally  free  from  the  bad  taste  of  stridency  and 
bombast. 

FRANKLIN   T.   BAKER. 

Teachers  College, 
Columbia  University 


CONTENTS 


Seeing  the  World  . 
-The  Race  of  the  Hare  and  the 

Hedgehog 
A  Strange  Friendship  Explained 
Susie's  Dream 
One  Little  Feather 

A  Good  Thanksgiving     . 

The  Stone  in  the  Road   . 

Little  Half-Chick  . 

The  Servant  of  All 

Old  Billy      . 

Hans'  the  Shepherd  Boy  . 

Why  the  Tip  of  the  Fox's  Tail 

is  White 
The  Rat's  Daughter 
Shingebiss     .  .  '        . 

Wee  Robin's  Yule  Song 
Babouscka    . 
The  Cold  Country 
The  Tw^elve  Months 
The  Weather  Hen 
What  was  her  Name  ?     . 
The  Skylark's  Spurs 
The  Traveler  and  the  Camel 


Florence  M,  Lansing     . 

Adapted  from  Grimm    . 
Western  Folk  Tale 
Adapted  from  Sydney  Dare 
Suggested  by  H,  C.  Andersen' 

Story 
Marian  Douglas 
Old  English  Tale 
Spanish  Folk  Tale 
A,  and  E.  Keary 
Hindoo  Tale 
From  the  German 

English  Folk  Tale 

Japanese  Folk  Tale 

North  American  Indian  Legend 

Scottish  Tale 

Edith  M.  Thomas 

Adapted  from  S.  Weir  Mitchell 

Bohemian  Tale     . 

Dion  Clayton  Calthorp  . 

Laura  E,  Richards 

Adapted  from  Jean  Inge  low 

Adapted  from  Maria  Edgeworth 


15 

22 
26 

29 
32 
35 
39 
45 
54 
58 

61 

66 

72 

11 
81 

85 

91 
104 
108 
[14 

120 


8                                    CONTENTS 

The  Forest  Full  of  Friends 

Raymond  McAlden 

PAGE 
.         124 

Work           .... 

Mary  K  Prescott 

132 

Swan,  Hold  Fast  . 

Adapted  from  Grimm    . 

134 

Why  Animals  Fear  Fire 

Margaret  Bemister 

146 

A  Mad  Tea  Party 

Lewis  Carroll 

151 

The  Baby  Seed's  Song  . 

E,  Neshit   . 

163 

The  Lark  and  the  Rook 

A?io?iymous  . 

164 

Pandora        .... 

From  the  Greek  Myth  . 

166 

The  Brownies 

Juliana  H,  Ewing 

175 

Aladdin    and     the    Wonderful 

Lamp       .... 

From  Arabian  Nights    . 

181 

King  Alfred 

English  Legend    . 

189 

The  Fisherman  and  the  Genie 

From  Arabian  Nights   . 

196 

The  Knight  of  the  Silver  Shield 

Raymond  McAlden 

201 

The  Feast  of  Lanterns     . 

Chinese  Folk  Tale 

209 

Note  to  Teachers 

223 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

For  permission  to  use  valuable  material  belonging 
to  other  publishers,  the  author  makes  the  following 
acknowledgments  : 

To  The  Macmillan  Company,  for  "  Shingebiss/' 
and  "  Why  Animals  Fear  Fire/'  from  Bemister's 
"Thirty  Indian  Legends*';  for  "The  Servant  of  AH/' 
by  A.  and  E.  Keary ;  for  "  The  Rat's  Daughter/'  from 
James's  "  Green  Willow  and  Other  Japanese  Fairy 
Tales." 

To  Doubleday,  Page  &  Company,  for  "  The  Race 
of  the  Hare  and  the  Hedgehog,"  as  adapted  by  Kate 
Douglas  Wiggin  in  "  Tales  of  Laughter." 

To  Dana  Estes  Company,  for  "  What  was  her 
Name  ? "  by  Laura  E.  Richards. 

To  The  Bobbs- Merrill  Company,  for  "The  Forest 
Full  of  Friends,"  and  "The  Knight  of  the  Silver 
Shield,"  adapted  from  Raymond  McAlden's  "  Why 
the  Chimes  Rang,"  copyright,  1906. 

To  Florence  M.  Lansing,  for  the  story  entitled, 
"  Seeing  the  World,"  from  "  Quaint  Old  Stories/' 
published  by  Ginn  &  Co. 

To  Edith  M.  Thomas,  for  the  poem,  "Babouscka," 
from  "  Children  of  Christmas,"  published  by  Richard 
Badger. 

9 


lo  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

To  the  Century  Company  and  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
for  the  adaptation  of  the  story  entitled,  "The  Cold 
Country." 

To  John  Lane  Company,  for  "  The  Weather  Hen,*' 
by  Dion  Clayton  Calthorp. 

To  Stead's  Publishing  House,  London,  for  "  The 
Feast  of  the  Lanterns,''  adapted  from  "  Books  for 
Bairns  —  Fairy  Tales  from  China." 

To  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  for  the  lines  by  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson. 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


SEEING  THE  WORLD 

A  little  pig  was  standing  at  the  door  of  his 
sty.     His  mother  stood  behind  him. 

"Ho,  ho!"  said  the  little  pig,  "the  farmer 
boy  has  left  this  door  ajar  and  I  can  push  it 
open.  I  have  always  wanted  to  see  the  world, 
and  now  is  my  time  ;  I'm  off." 

"No,  no,"  said  his  mother;  "stay  here  with 
me.      You  will  be  safer  in  the  sty." 

"No,"  said  the  little  pig;  "I  have  always 
wanted  to   see   the    world,  and    I'm   going.     It 


12  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

would  be  of  no  use  for  you  to  come.  You 
would  be  in  my  way,  and  in  your  own  as  well, 
for  I  know  you  do  not  care  to  see  the  world. 
Good-by." 

"  Take  care,  take  care.  It  may  be  well  to 
go  out  in  the  world  if  you  must,  but  it  is  best 
to  stop  at  home  if  you  can,"  call'ed  his  mother. 

"  Poor  old  thing  !  Pm  off  ;  "  and  out  he 
walked  into  the  square,  walled-in  farmyard. 

"So  this  is  the  world.  What  a  large  place 
it  is.  Dear  me,  I  must  take  care  or  I  shall  be 
lost.  I  must  keep  close  to  the  edge  of  the 
world.     Then  I  shall  not  lose  my  way." 

"  Quack,  quack,"  called  two  geese,  standing 
in  his  way  and  putting  out  their  heads  at  him. 

"  I  don't  Hke  this,"  said  little  pig.  ''  Pll  go 
as  fast  as  I  can." 

"  Cluck,  cluck,  cluck,  cluck,"  cried  four  hens 
that  were  standing  by  the  wall  a  little  farther  on. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  How  much  I  shall 
have  to  tell  when  I  get  home  !  "  On  he  went 
until  he  came  to  a  door.  A  red  cow  was  stand- 
ing there. 

"  This  must  be  the  end  of  the  world.  See 
that  great,  ugly  pig  with  the  big  horns.      I  will 


SEEING   THE    WORLD 


»3 


jfS  COMSTOCH 


get  out  of  her  way  as  fast  as  I  can.  I  will  make 
haste.  Why,  here  I  am  back  at  the  door  of  my 
own  sty." 

"  So  here  you  are  back  again,"  said  his 
mother,  when  she  saw  him. 

"  Here  I  am." 

"What  have  you  seen?"  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  such  things.  I  have  been  round  the 
world.  I  find  it  is  square  and  has  a  wall  all 
around  it,  lest  pigs  should  fall  off.  In  fact  it  is 
like  a  big  sty." 

"  Well,  to  be  sure  !  "  said  his  mother. 

"  And  the  end  of  the  world  is  made  of  wood 
and  has  two  high  posts,  one  on  each  side  to 
mark  the  place.     The  first  thing  that  I  saw  in 


14  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

the  world  was  a  pair  of  the  queerest  pigs.  They 
had  but  two  legs,  and  they  had  very  long  necks. 
There  are  but  two  in  the  world.  Think  of 
that !  Then  I  saw  four  smaller  pigs,  and  they 
said  *  Cluck,  cluck,  cluck,  cluck.'  " 

"  What  does  that  mean  ? "   asked  his  mother. 

"  Oh,  it  is  what  they  say  in  the  world.  It  is 
of  no  use  to  tell  you  what  it  means,  for  you 
have  not  been  there,  and  you  wouldn't  under- 
stand. Then  I  saw  a  huge  red  pig  with  two 
horns.  There  is  but  one  pig  of  this  sort  in  the 
whole  world." 

"  Well,  to  be  sure  !  "  said  his  mother. 

**  I  should  have  made  friends  with  her,  but 
she  did  not  look  my  way.  And  then  as  I  had 
gone  all  round  the  world,  I  came  home.  Ah, 
the  world  is  a  fine  place.  To  think  that  you 
have  never  seen  it,  you  poor  old  thing.  Now 
the  farmer  boy  may  shut  the  door  when  he  likes. 
I  know  all  about  the  world." 

''Well,  to  be  sure!"  said  his  mother  as  she 
trotted  off. 


THE  RACE  OF  THE  HARE  AND 
THE  HEDGEHOG 


One  day  a  hedgehog  went  for  a  walk  in  the 
fields  to  see  how  his  turnips  were  getting  on. 
He  had  not  gone  very  far  when  he  met  the  hare 
who  was  out  on  the  same  errand. 

*^  Good  morning,"  said  the  hedgehog,  when 
he  caught  sight  of  the  hare. 

The  hare,  who  thought  himself  a  high  and 
mighty  person,  did  not  answer  the  hedgehog's 
greeting.  He  only  asked,  "  Why  are  you  out 
in  the  fields  so  early  this  morning  ?" 

**  I  came  out  for  a  walk,"  said  the  good- 
natured  hedgehog. 

''  Out  for  a  walk  ?     I  should  think  you'd  try 


15 


i6  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

to  use  those  silly  little  legs  of  yours  for  some- 
thing better  than  that." 

Now  the  hedgehog  was  a  good-natured  fellow, 
but  he  did  not  like  being  made  game  of. 

"No  doubt  you  think  your  legs  are  better 
than  mine,"  he  said. 

"  I  do,  indeed,"  answered  the  hare. 

**  That  remains  to  be  seen.  For  my  part,  I 
think  my  legs  quite  as  good  as  yours,"  said  the 
hedgehog,  in  rather  a  sharp  way. 

"  As  good  as  mine  ?  Nonsense,  hedgehog ; 
you  can  only  walk  with  your  legs." 

"  Only  walk  ?  I'll  run  a  race  with  you  any 
day,  and  I  bet  I  shall  outstrip  you,  Mr.  Hare," 
said  the  hedgehog. 

"  How  absurd  !  You,  with  your  little  legs. 
But  if  you  wish  to  try,  I  have  no  objection." 

**  We'll  start  right  away,"  said  the  hare,  who 
was  now  anxious  to  begin. 

"  Very  well,  if  I  win  the  race,  all  the  turnips 
in  the  field  are  mine." 

"Agreed,"  said  the  hare. 

"  But  I  haven't  had  any  breakfast,"  said  the 
hedgehog,  "and  I  feel  a  bit  faint.  I'll  just  run 
home  and  take  a  bite  and  be  back  here  in  no 
time." 


RACE    OF   HARE   AND    HEDGEHOG 


17 


**Very  well,  and  I'll  run  to  the  cabbage  field 
and  back  while  you  are  gone  " ;  and  off  scampered 
Mr.  Hare. 

Away  trotted  the  hedgehog  to  his  home. 
Then  he  thought  to  himself:  '^  That  hare  thinks 
a  lot  of  his  long  legs.  But  he's  not  so  clever, 
ril  get  the  better  of  him  this  time,  and  all  the 
turnips  —  see  if  I  don't." 

As  soon  as  he  got  home  he  said  to  his  wife, 
**  Quick !  get  dressed.  You  must  come  out  with 
me." 

"  Oh,  what  is  the  matter  ? "  said  Mrs.  Hedge- 
hog. 

"  The  hare  and  I  are  going  to  run  a  race. 
If  I  win,  I  am  to  have  all  the  turnips.     He  thinks 


he'll  beat  me,  but   I'll  show  him.      Get  ready, 
quick  ;  I  want  you  to  be  there." 

''  Good    gracious    me !     have    you    lost    your 
senses  ?     How    can   you   think   of   racing    with 


DRAMATIC    STORIES- 


i8  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

him  ?  You'll  lose,  and  then  we'll  not  have  a 
turnip  to  eat/' 

<<  We've  no  time  to  talk.  Listen  !  We  are  to 
run  our  race  in  that  plowed  field.  The  hare 
will  run  in  one  furrow  and  I  in  another.  We 
start  at  the  top.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  lie 
low  at  the  other  end  of  my  furrow.  As  soon 
as  the  hare  reaches  the  end  of  his  furrow,  you 
must  jum^  up  and  call  out,  '  Pm  here  already.'  " 

"  Ha-ha-ha,"  laughed  Mrs.  Hedgehog.  "  I 
see,  I  see.  That's  a  good  joke.  He  will  think 
that  I  am  you,'' 

"  Exactly.  Look  sharp ;  now  put  on  your 
things  and  we'll  make  off." 

They  reached  the  field.  The  hedgehog  told 
his  wife  where  to  lie  low,  and  he  went  on  to  the 
other  end  of  the  furrow.  The  hare  was  waiting 
for  him. 

"  Well,  are  you  ready  ?"  asked  the  hare. 

"  I  am  ready." 

Each  took  his  place. 

*^  But  wait  a  minute,"  said  the  hedgehog. 
"  Who  will  do  the  counting  ?  " 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  said  the  hare.  "  Ready! 
One  —  two  —  three,  go!" 


RACE    OF    HARE    AND    HEDGEHOG 


19 


**  I  cannot  understand  this,"  said  the  hare. 


20  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

Away  went  the  hare  like  the  wind,  not 
looking  to  the  right  or  the  left.  The  hedge- 
hog took  about  three  steps,  turned  back,  and 
ducked  down  in  his  furrow;  and  there  he  sat, 
laughing  and  laughing  and  laughing.  Now, 
the  moment  the  hare  got  to  the  other  end  of  his 
furrow,  Mrs.  Hedgehog  called  out,  "  Pm  here 
already."' 

"  Well  —  well  —  well.  I  do  not  understand 
this  ;  let  us  run  back  to  the  starting  point.  Are 
you  ready  ?" 

"  As  often  as  you  like.  I  am  ready,"  said 
Mrs.  Hedgehog. 

**  Very  well,  one  —  two  —  three,  go  !  '' 

Away  went  the  hare  running  as  fast  as  he 
could.  But  Mrs.  Hedgehog  ran  a  few  steps, 
turned  back,  and  ducked  down  in  her  furrow. 

When  the  hare  got  to  the  starting  point, 
up  jumped  the  hedgehog. 

"  I'm  here  already,"  he  called  out. 

'^  I  cannot  understand  this,"  said  the  hare. 
"  We  must  run  again." 

"As  often  as  you  like,  I  am  ready,"  said  the 
hedgehog. 

They  tried  again  and  again,  running  backward 
and   forward   a   great    many   times.     But  every 


RACE    OF    HARE   AND    HEDGEHOG         21 

time  the  hare  arrived  at  one  end  of  the  furrow 
or  the  other,  the  hedgehog  or  his  wife  called 
out,  **  Pm  here  already." 

At  last  the  hare,  tired  out,  said,  "  This  is  very 
strange." 

"  Shall  we  run  again  ? "  asked  the  hedge- 
hog. 

"  No  —  no,"  answered  the  hare ;  ''  the  race  is 
yours." 

**  A7td  the  turnips!  "  said  the  hedgehog. 

But  the  hare  did  not  hear  him  ;  he  had  scamp- 
ered off  over  the  fields. 

So  the  hedgehog  and  his  wife  went  home 
very  well  pleased  with  themselves.  On  the  way, 
Mrs.  Hedgehog  said,  ''  Mr.  Hedgehog,  you  may 
be  short  on  legs,  but  you  are  long  on  wits.'' 


A  STRANGE  FRIENDSHIP  EXPLAINED 

Once  upon  a  time  a  strong  friendship  grew 
up  between  a  lion  and  an  elephant.  The  other 
animals  of  the  forest  thought  this  very  strange. 
They  could  not  understand  how  a  lion,  the  king 
of  beasts,  could  feel  such  admiration  for  so 
clumsy,  rude,  and  ugly  a  creature  as  an  elephant. 

One  day  the  animals  met  together  at  a  clearing 
in  the  forest  to  talk  the  matter  over  among  them- 
selves. "  Is  it  quite  true  that  the  lion  and  the 
elephant  are  friends  ?  "  asked  the  deer,  in  disgust. 

"Quite  true,"  answered*  the  fox.  ''See, 
there  they  go  now." 

''  I  could  not  have  believed  it,"  continued 
the  deer  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  two  animals 
on  their  way  to  the  forest  together.  ''  Ele- 
phants can't  run  swiftly.  I  watched  one  only 
the  other  day  come  lumbering  along.  I  have 
always  felt  that  one's  friends  should  be  able  to 
bound  gracefully  in  and  out  of  the  forest  at  a 
moment's  notice,  —  just  as  I  do.  Then  his 
eyes   are   so   very   small,    not  at   all   like    mine. 


A    STRANGE    FRIENDSHIP    EXPLAINED       23 


The  Lion  and  the  Elephant. 


24  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

One  needs  large,  soft  eyes.  Oh,  he  is  a  huge 
ugly  beast."  And  with  that  the  deer  made  a 
graceful  plunge  into  the  stream  close  by,  swam 
across  it  and  bounded  away  into  the  woods. 

"  The  deer  is  quite  right,"  said  a  little 
squirrel.  **  The  elephant  is  clumsy  and  rude, 
too,  particularly  to  little  creatures  like  me. 
The  other  day  he  came  up  to  the  tree  where  I 
was  gathering  nuts.  The  way  he  crowded  and 
pushed  me  was  shocking.  And  his  manners 
when  he  is  eating  are  not  at  all  like  mine,  I 
do  not  dare  to  think  of  them."  With  that  he 
whisked  up  the  nearest  tree  and  had  a  nut  in 
no  time.  Down  he  came  with  it  and  he  sat 
eating  it  in  his  own  dainty  way  just  to  show 
what  he  meant  by  fine  squirrel  manners. 

**  I  must  say  it  has  puzzled  me  for  a  long 
time,"  said  the  fox.  "  Just  look  at  his  ridiculous 
tail,  more  like  a  rope  than  anything  else.  It 
makes  me  laugh  every  time  I  see  it.  One  could 
understand  the  lion's  admiration  if  the  elephant 
had  such  a  splendid  bushy  tail  as  I  have."  He 
walked  up  and  down  before  the  other  animals, 
holding  his  tail  high  as  if  he  meant  them  to  see^ 
that  he  had  much  to  be  proud  of. 

"  I  can  forgive  him  his  funny  tail,"  said  the 


A   STRANGE   FRIENDSHIP   EXPLAINED      25 

bear.  "  Tails  are  nothing  to  be  proud  of  any- 
way ;  but  he  should  have  some  good  sharp 
claws  like  mine.  He  can't  climb  up  a  tree  or 
over  the  rocks,  he  can't  scratch,  he  can't  dig  in 
the  ground.  Why,  he  hasn't  a  claw  to  his  feet ! 
For  my  part,  I  don't  see  how  a  friendship  can 
spring  up  without  claws,"  and  the  bear  walked 
away  to  sharpen  his  on  the  nearest  tree  trunk. 

^'  Pm  sure  it's  the  tusks,"  said  the  cow.  **  No 
doubt  the  lion  thinks  they  are  horns.  Of  course 
no  one  can  help  admiring  horns,  but  the  ele- 
phant's tusks  turn  dow7i  instead  of  up,  as  mine 
do.  I  wonder  the  lion  didn't  notice  that." 
Then  she  tossed  her  head  proudly  just  to  show 
how  beautiful  she  thought  her  own  horns  were. 

''  Stop,"  said  the  donkey.  "  You  need  not 
discuss  this  matter  any  longer.  Come,  gather 
around  me  and  I'll  explain  it  to  you  all. 
Listen  !  Have  you  never  noticed  that  the  ele- 
phant has  long,  beautiful  ears, — just  like 
mine  ? "  And  off  he  walked,  making  his  way 
quickly  to  the  stream  near  by  where  he  could 
see  the  reflection  of  his  own  ears  in  the  clear, 
smooth  water  below. 


SUSIE'S    DREAM 


Susie  carried  her  baby  sister  out  to  the  great 
farmyard.  She  laid  the  baby  on  some  hay. 
Then  she  sat  down  by  her  side  and  sang  softly :  — 

"  What  will  you  give,  what  will  you  give 
For  my  little  baby  fair  ? 
Nothing  so  bright  as  her  bonny  blue  eyes. 
Or  soft  as  her  curling  hair. 

"  What  will  you  bring,  what  will  you  bring 
To  trade  for  my  treasure  here  ? 
No  one  can  show  a  baby  so  sweet 
Anywhere  far  or  near." 

"  Moo,  moo,"  said  the  Jersey  cow,  as  she 
came  and  looked  at  the  baby. 

"  What  will  I  give  ?  Can  she  kick  up  her 
heels  and  run  all  over  the  yard.?^'' 

26 


y 


r 


SUSIE'S    DREAM  27 

"  Why,  no/'  said  Susie;  "  she  can't  walk  yet." 

"  Ah,   how  old  is  she  ?  " 

"Nearly  a  year  old,"  said  Susie. 

**  Nearly  a  year  !  My  little  one  walked  be- 
fore she  was  two  days  old.  I  will  not  trade  my 
baby  for  yours."      And  the  cow  walked  away. 

"  Baa,  baa,"  said  an  old  sheep.  "  Let  me  see. 
She  is  a  nice  little  thing.    Has  she  only  two  legs  ?  " 

"That's  all,"  said  Susie. 

"  Then  my  lamb  is  worth  twice  as  much. 
And  I  see  she  has  no  wool.  I  do  not  wish  to 
trade  with  you."     And  she  trotted  away. 

"  Quack,  quack,"  said  the  duck.  "  Let  us 
have  a  look.      Can  she  swim  well?" 

"  Oh,  no  ;  she  can't  swim  at  all.  It  isn't  safe 
for  her  to  go  near  the  water." 

"  All  my  darlings  can  swim."  And  away  she 
waddled. 

r 

"  Cheer  up,  cheer  up.  Let  me  see,"  said  a 
robin.      "  Can  she  sing?" 

"  She  is  not  old  enough  yet,"  answered  Susie. 

"  All  my  children  sang  when  only  four 
months  old,"  said  the  robin.  "  I  wouldn't  trade 
my  babies  for  yours."      And  away  he  flew. 


28  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

"  Cluck,  cluck  !  "  said  the  white  hen.  *^  I 
haven't  much  time  to  look.  Can  your  baby 
sister  peep  when  she  is  hungry  ?  " 

^'No;  when  she's  hungry,  she  cries,"  said 
Susie. 

'*  Well,  that's  a  funny  baby.  At  any  rate  I 
see  her  legs  are  not  yellow.  All  my  children 
have  yellow  legs."  And  away  she  went  to  find 
her  twelve  chicks. 

"  Meow,  meow,  meow  !  "  said  the  pussy,  as 
she  came  up.      ''  Can  she  catch  a  mouse  ?  " 

"  No,  she's  afraid  of  a  mouse,"  said  Susie. 

"  Let  me  see  her  claws." 

"  She  hasn't  any.  She  has  pretty  pink 
fingers." 

"  Well,  she  is  pretty.  I  think  Til  take  your 
baby  and  let  you  have  one  of  my  kittens.  I 
have  three."  And  Pussy  took  hold  of  the  baby's 
dress  as  if  she  were  going  to  carry  her  away. 

"  Oh,  no.  Pussy,"  said  Susie,  "  I  don't  want  to 
trade  her  at  all.  I'd  rather  have  my  baby  sister 
than  all  the  chickens,  lambs,  ducks,  chicks,  and 
kittens  in  the  whole  world." 

And  Susie  awoke  with  a  start  and  carried  her 
baby  sister  away. 


f 


ONE    LITTLE    FEATHER 


*'  Dear  me,"  said  a  little  white  hen  as  she  flew 
up  on  the  perch,  '*  there  goes  another  feather. 
How  funny  I  shall  look  if  one  falls  out  every 
time  I  scratch  myself" 

She  was  a  merry  little  hen.  But  she  forgot 
all  about  the  feather  and  was  soon  fast  asleep.  A 
little  red  hen,  sitting  next  to  her,  heard  all  that 
the  little  white  hen  said.  At  least,  she  thought 
she  heard.  *'  How  dreadful  of  little  white  hen  ! 
She  said  she  had  scratched  out  nearly  all  of  her 
feathers.     I  must  run  and  tell  the  others." 

The  little  red  hen  left  the  hen  house  and 
made  her  way  quickly  to  the  barnyard. 

**  Have  you  heard  the  news  ? "  asked  the  little 
red  hen.      ''  A  little  hen,  —  I  shan't  say  which 

29 


30  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

one,  —  said  she  had  scratched  out  all  her 
feathers." 

"  Shocking,"  said  the  gray  goose,  "  I  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing."  And  the  gray  goose 
went  to  visit  the  owl  who  lived  in  a  tree  close  by. 

"Have  you  heard?"  she  asked  the  owl. 
"  Have  you  heard  about  that  little  hen  who 
scratched  out  every  one  of  her  feathers  and  now 
is  not  fit  to  be  seen  ? " 

''  Who,  who ! "  hooted  the  old  owl.  "Where 
did  you  hear  that  ?  " 

"  I  heard  it  in  the  barnyard  this  morning.  It 
is  as  good  as  seeing  it  with  my  own  eyes,"  said 
the  gray  goose. 

"  I  believe  it,  I  believe  it,"  said  the  owl. 

"  Coo-ooo,"  cooed  the  pigeons  as  they  flew 
from  the  tree. 

"  Did  you  hear  it,  too  ?  "  asked  the  owl. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  pigeons.  "We  heard  it 
in  the  other  barnyard.  They  say  the  little  hen 
plucked  a//  her  feathers  out,  and  is  going  about 
quite  bare.  She'll  freeze  to  death  if  she's  not 
dead  already,"  and  away  they  flew  back  to  the 
barnyard. 

"Have  you  heard?"  said  the  pigeons  to  a 
little  black  hen. 


ONE    LITTLE    FEATHER  31 

''  Heard  what?"  asked  the  httle  black  hen. 

"  The  dreadful  story.  A  little  hen  plucked 
out  all  her  feathers  and  went  about  quite  bare. 
I  should  think  she  would  freeze  to  death.  No 
doubt  she  has  done  so  by  this  time."' 

Now  the  little  black  hen  was  the  little  white 
hen's  friend.  So  she  ran  right  to  the  hen  house 
to  tell  the  story.  There  was  the  little  white  hen 
just  waking  up  from  her  nap. 

"  Have  you  heard  about  the  little  hen  who 
plucked  out  all  her  feathers  and  went  about 
quite  bare  ?  They  all  think  she  is  dead  by  this 
time/'  said  the  little  black  hen. 

"  I  don't  believe  it.     Who  told  you  this  ?'' 

"  Oh,  I  heard  it  from  the  pigeons,  and  they 
heard  it — " 

''  Never  mind  !  Let's  go  and  see  if  we  can  find 
that  little  hen,  and  then  I  shall  believe  the  story." 

Little  white  hen  and  little  black  hen  went 
out  of  the  hen  house  together  and  into  the  barn- 
yard. Do  you  think  they  ever  found  that  little 
hen .? 


A   GOOD    THANKSGIVING 


Said  old  Grandfather  Gay,  "  On  a  Thanksgiving 

Day, 
If  you  want  a  good  time,  then  give  something 

away." 
So  he  sent  a  fat  turkey  to  Shoemaker  Price, 
And  the    shoemaker  said,   "  What  a  big  bird  ! 

how  nice ! 
And  since  a  good  dinner's  before  me,  I  ought 
To  give  poor  Widow  Lee  the  small  chicken  I 

bought." 


A   GOOD    THANKSGIVING  33 

"This  fine  chicken  —  oh,  see  !  "  said  the  pleased 

Widow  Lee, 
"  And  the  kindness  that  sent  it,  how  precious  to 

me  ! 
I  would  like  to  make  some  one  as  happy  as  I, 
So    rU    give    Mrs.    Murphy    my    big    pumpkin 

pie." 

'*  And  oh,  sure,"  poor  Mrs.  Murphy  said,  "'tis 

the  queen  of  pies  ! 
Just  to  look  at  its  yellow  face  gladdens  my  eyes. 
Now  it's  my  turn,  I  think.      So  a  sweet  ginger 

cake 
For  the  motherless  Finnigan  children  I'll  bake." 

"  A  sweet  cake,  all  our  own  !  'Tis  too  good  to 

be  true  !  " 
Said  the  Finnigan  children,  Rose,   Denny,  and 
y         Hugh ; 
"  It  smells  sweet  of  spice,  and  we'll  carry  a  slice 
To  little  Lame  Jake  —  who  has  nothing  that's 
nice." 

"  Oh,  I  thank  you,  and  thank  you  !  "  said  little 

Lame  Jake ; 
"  Oh,  what  beautiful,  beautiful,  beautiful  cake  ! 

DRAMATIC    STORIES 3 


34 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


And    oh,    such   a   big    slice !   I'll    save    all    the 

crumbs ! 
And  will  give  them  to  each  little  sparrov^  that 

comes  !  " 


And    the    sparrows,  they    twittered    as    if  they 

would  say. 
Like  old  Grandfather  Gay,  "  On  a  Thanksgiving 

Day, 
If  you  want  a  good  time,  give  something  away." 

/ 


THE    STONE    IN    THE    ROAD 

There  was  once  a  king  whose  home  was  in  a 
beautiful  castle  near  a  village.  He  loved  the 
people  of  this  village  and  did  everything  he 
could  to  make  them  happy.  But,  try  as  hard  as 
he  might,  they  were  never  satisfied.  The  truth 
was,  that  they  thought  the  king  should  make 
them  rich. 

As  soon  as  the  king  learned  the  cause  of  their 
discontent  he  said  to  one  of  his  courtiers :  ''  So 
these  people  wish  to  be  rich.  They  do  not  love 
work  well  enough  for  that.  I  have  felt  for  a 
long  time  that  they  are  unwilling  and  often 
afraid  to  do  hard  things.  Come,  see  if  I  am  not 
right.  I'll  place  a  big  stone  in  the  middle  of 
this  highroad,  and  you  may  watch  to  see  if  any 
one  of  them  will  take  the  trouble  to  move 
it." 

They  found  a  large  stone  and  rolled  it  right 
into  the  middle  of  the  road. 

"  Now,"  said  the  king,  '^  hide  behind  these 
bushes  and  see  what  will  happen." 

35 


36  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  courtier  took  his  place  while  the  king 
went  back  to  the  castle. 

By  and  by  a  farmer  came  along.  '^  Ah,  the 
laziness  of  these  village  people,"  he  said.  ''  Here 
is  a  stone,  a  big  one,  right  in  the  middle  of  the 
road.  I  am  sure  it  has  been  here  a  long  time, 
and  no  one  has  taken  the  trouble  to  move  it. 
Such  laziness  !  "  So  saying,  he  turned  to  one 
side  and  passed  on. 

Soon  an  old  woman  came  by.  "  Such  care- 
lessness !  "  she  said.  "  Who  can  have  left  this 
great  stone  here  where  people  must  pass  up 
and  down  ?  "  Then  she  walked  around  it  and 
went  on  her  way. 

Presently  a  soldier  came  that  way.  He 
carried  his  head  so  high  that  he  did  not  even 
see  the  stone  until  he  stumbled  against  it.  *'  A 
fine  road,  this ! "  he  said.  "  I  wonder  how 
long  that  stone  will  lie  there.  It's  a  pity  some 
neighbor  could  not  move  it  out  of  the  way.'* 
And  lifting  his  head  he  wenjt'  on. 

Towards  evening  a  farmer's  boy  came  past 
on  his  way  home.  He  had  been  hard  at  work 
in    the   fields  all  day  and  was  now  very,  very 


THE    STONE    IN    THE    ROAD 


37 


tired.      When  he  saw  the  stone,  he  stood  still  and 
looked  at  it. 

"  That's  a  big  stone  to  be  in  the  road,"  he 
said.  "  Fm  glad  it  was  not  too  dark  for  me  to 
have  seen  it.  But  it  will  soon  be  night.  Some 
one  may  fall  over  it  in  the  dark  and  be  badly 


hurt.  I'll  roll  it  out  of  the  way."  He  pushed 
the  heavy  stone  with  all  his  might  till  at  last  he 
moved  it  from  its  place. 

"  What's  this  ?  "  he  said  as  his  eyes  caught 
sight  of  a  small  leather  bag,  tied  with  a  string, 
lying  in  the  place  where  the  stone  had  been. 
He  picked  it  up.  The  bag  was  full  of  bright 
golden  coins  and  on  it  was  written  these  words : 
*'  This  gold  is  for  the  one  that  moves  the  stoned 


38  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  For  me  !  "  said  the  farmer's  boy,  aloud. 

"  Yes,  it  is  for  you,"  said  the  courtier,  as  he 
came  forward  from  behind  the  bushes.  ''  Our 
king  will  be  happy  to  learn  that  I  have  found 
one  villager,  at  least,  who  is  not  afraid  to  do 
hard  things." 


LITTLE    HALF-CHICK 


There  was  once  a  handsome  black  hen  who 
had  a  large  brood  of  chickens.  They  were  all 
fine  fat  chicks,  but  one.  He  was  very  odd  and 
very  ugly.  With  only  one  eye,  one  wing,  one 
leg,  half  a  head,  and  half  a  beak,  he  was  a  real 
half-chick. 

One  day  his  mother  called  her  brood  to  her 
and  said,  "  My  chicks,  you  may  go  out  into  the 
world  and  seek  your  fortune.  But  you,  my 
little  Half-Chick,  you  must  stay  at  home  with 
me." 

''  Indeed,  mother,  I  am  tired  myself  of  this 
barnyard.  It's  too  small  for  me.  I  am  going 
out  to  seek  my  fortune,  too." 

39 


40  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

''To  seek  your  fortune,  my  little  Half- 
Chick?"  said  his  mother.  "Nowhere  will  you 
find  a  better  barnyard  than  this.  Here  you 
have  plenty  to  eat  and  drink  and  some  one  to 
care  for  you." 

''Quite  true  —  and  everything  may  be  good 
enough  for  the  other  chicks.  But  it  does  not 
suit  me  at  all.      I  shall  go  to  Madrid." 

"  To  Madrid  !  "  said  his  mother.  "  You 
silly  chick.  It's  a  long  way,  and  you  will  be 
tired  to  death  before  you  get  halfway  there." 

"  I  shall  go  to  Madrid,  I  say  —  and  then  to 
the  palace." 

"  To  the  palace  r  My  son,  my  dear  Half- 
Chick  !  You  do  not  know  what  you  are 
saying." 

"  I  shall  go  to  Madrid  —  and  then  to  the 
palace  to  see  the  king." 

"  To  see  the  king  !  Well,  well,  well,  I  shall 
say  no  more  about  it,"  cried  his  mother,  who 
now  saw  that  he  would  go. 

"To  Madrid — to  the  palace  —  to  the  king! 
I'm  off,"  and  away  he  flew. 

"  Be  sure  you  are  kind  to  every  one  you  meet, 
Half-Chick,"  called  his  mother.  But  he  did 
not  hear  a  word  she  said. 


LITTLE    HALF-CHICK  41 

Away  flew  Half-Chick  across  the  field. 

*'  Tm  quite  big  enough  to  go  alone,"  he  said 
in  a  very  proud  way.  He  had  not  gone  far 
when  he  came  to  a  small  brook  so  choked  up 
with  weeds  that  the  water  could  scarcely  flow. 
He  was  about  to  hop  over  it  when  the  brook 
said :  — 

''  Oh,  Half-Chick,  do  help  me.  These  weeds 
are  choking  me,  and  I  am  so  weak  I  cannot 
help  myself." 

**  Help  you,  indeed !  Help  yourself.  I  have 
no  time  to  stop.  I  am  off  to  Madrid  —  to 
the  palace  —  to  see  the  king."  And  away  he 
flew. 

A  little  farther  on,  he  came  to  a  fire  which 
was  burning  very  low. 

"Oh,  Half-Chick,"  called  out  the  fire  in  a 
very  weak  voice,  "  do  help  me.  In  a  few 
minutes  I  shall  go  out  if  you  don't  put  some 
sticks  and  dry  leaves  on  me." 

"  Help  you,  indeed  !  Help  yourself.  I've 
no  time  to  gather  sticks  and  dry  leaves  to  help 
you.  I  am  off  to  Madrid  —  to  the  palace  —  to 
see  the  king."      And  away  he  flew. 

A  little  farther  on  he  saw  West  Wind  caught 
in  the  branches  of  a  large  tree. 


42  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

''  Oh,  Half-Chick,  do  help  me.  See  what 
has  happened.  I  am  caught  in  the  branches 
of  this  tree  and  I  cannot  get  away.  Do  help 
me/' 

"  Help  you,  indeed  !  Help  yourself.  Shake 
yourself  off  the  branches.  I  have  no  time  to 
stay  here  with  you.  I  am  off  to  Madrid  —  to 
the  palace — to  see  the  king/'  And  away  he 
flew. 

Towards  evening  he  came  to  a  large  town. 
There  he  saw  the  king's  palace.  "  I  shall  wait 
here  at  the  gates  till  the  king  comes  out.  He 
will  be  pleased  to  see  me,"  said  the  vain  little 
Half-Chick.  But  just  as  he  hopped  past  one 
of  the  windows  of  the  palace  the  king's  cook 
saw  him. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha,  ha,"  he  said,  "this  is  the  very 
thing  I  want  for  the  king's  dinner,"  and  with 
that  he  stretched  out  his  arm  through  the  win- 
dow and  caught  poor  little  Half-Chick. 

"There,  pop  into  the  pot  you  go." 

Down,  down  went  poor  little  Half-Chick  into 
the  water. 

"  Oh,  water,  water,  please  have  pity  on  me. 
Do  not  wet  me,"  he  called  out. 


LITTLE    HALF-CHICK 


43 


"  Oh,  Half-Chick,  when  I  was  a  little  brook 
choked  with  weeds  and  leaves,  you  would  not 
stay  to  help  me.  I  can  do  nothing  for  you 
now." 

"  Oh,  water,  I  am  'drenched  from  head  to 
foot,''  pleaded  little  Half-Chick. 


"  Now  ril  put  him  into  the  oven  and  roast 
him,"  said  the  king's  cook.  **  I'll  make  up  a 
good  fire." 

"  Oh,  fire,  fire,  please  have  pity  on  me  !  "  cried 
Half-Chick.     '^  Do  not  scorch  me  like  this." 

*'Ah,  Half-Chick,  you  would  not  help  me 
when  I  was  dying  in  the  woods.  I  can  do 
nothing  for  you  now." 

At  last  the  cook  opened  the  oven  door. 


44  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

'*  Dear  me,  this  chicken  is  burned  up.  The 
fire  was  too  hot.  I  can't  send  this  up  to  the 
king's  table,"  and  he  took  Half-Chick  by  the 
wing  and  threw  him  out  of  the  window. 

West  Wind  caught  liim  and  whirled  him 
round  and  round.  For  a  few  minutes  he  did 
not  know  where  he  was. 

*^  West  Wind,  have  pity  on  me.  Do  not 
blow  me  around  like  this." 

'*  Oh,  Half-Chick,  you  did  not  help  me  when 
I  was  caught  in  the  branches  of  the  tree.  I 
can  do  nothing  for  you  now." 

''  Where  are  you  taking  me.  West  Wind  ?  " 
asked  Half-Chick  in  a  frightened  voice. 

^'  Wait,  and  you  will  see.  I  am  going  to  put 
you  where  every  wind  can  blow  you  whichever 
way  it  chooses  and  you  shall  stay  there  for  ever 
and  ever." 

Then  with  a  sudden  whirl.  West  Wind  took 
Half-Chick  up  over  the  roofs  of  the  houses  to 
the  top  of  a  tall  church  steeple.  And  there  he 
stands  to  this  very  day.  . 


THE    SERVANT    OF    ALL 


''  My  master  told  me  that  if  I  sell  this  drove 
of  pigs  in  the  town  that  lies  at  the  other  side  of 
the  forest,  I  may  have  the  money  for  my  own/* 
said  Carl  to  himself.      ''  Mine  —  my  own  !  " 

*^  Your  own,  Carl?''  said  a  voice  close  to  his  ear. 

Carl  turned  and  saw  an  old  man  sitting  down 
with  a  book  in  his  hand.  Carl  peeped  over  the 
old  man's  shoulder. 

"  Trying  to  peep  into  my  book,  I  see,"  said 
the  old  man. 

^'  Oh,  indeed,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Carl. 

"  No  offense,  I  assure  you,'*  answered  the 
other.  "  Sit  down  by  me  and  you  shall  read 
as  much  as  you  like." 

45 


46  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

So   Carl  sat  by  the  old  man  and  looked  into 
his  book. 
•    ^*  It  is  only  a  list  of  names/'  said  Carl. 

"  Do  you  see  nothing  that  interests  you  ? '' 

*' I  see  one  thing,"  said  Carl;  "one  of  the 
names  is  written  in  gilt  letters.  What  is  that 
for?" 

"That  name  is  the  name  of  a  king,"  an- 
swered the  old  man,  shutting  his  book. 

"And  what  is  a  king?"  asked  Carl.  "I 
have  never  seen  one,  though  I  have  been  a 
swineherd  these  three  years  and  walked  about 
a  good  deal." 

"  You  may  see  one  this  evening,  for  the  peo- 
ple of  yonder  city  to  which  you  are  going  ex- 
pect to  find  a  king  to-day.  They  have  been 
looking  for  one  for  a  long  time.  All  the  people 
are  waiting,  for  they  think  the  king  will  come 
to-day." 

"I  will  walk  on,  then,"  said  Carl,  "for  I 
should  certainly  like  to  see  him."  So  Carl 
walked  on. 

Presently  Carl  overtook  a  thin,  miserable- 
looking  donkey,  who  was  trying  in  vain  to 
drag  after  him  a  cartload  of  wood. 


THE    SERVANT    OE    ALL 


47 


''  Good  Master  Carl,"  said  the  donkey,  "  will 
you  not  help  me  on  with  this  load  a  little  way  ? 
I  am  so  tired  I  shall  never  reach  my  master's 
cottage." 

"  Never  despair,  my  good  friend,"  said  Carl, 
as  he  placed  himself  behind  the  cart  and  began 


to  push  it  vigorously  along.  By  and  by  he  said 
to  the  donkey,  ^*  That  will  do  now.  I  think 
you  can  go  your  way  and  I  will  go  mine." 

*'  But  I  can't  go  my  way,"  said  the  donkey, 
standing  stock-still  and  beginning  to  bray. 

''  Now  I  really  think  you  are  a  little  un- 
reasonable," said  Carl.  "  Look  what  a  long 
distance  I  have  pushed  you." 

But  the  donkey  went  on  braying. 

"  He  can't  help  being  a  donkey,"  said  Carl, 
"  and  I  dare  say  he's  very  tired." 


48  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

So  Carl  went  on  pushing  the  cart  for  him, 
until   they  came  to   his  master's  cabin. 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,  good  Master  Carl," 
said  the  donkey. 

"  Good-by,''  said  Carl,  and  he  ran  after  his 
pigs.  ''  They  are  eating  their  dinner,  so  I  think 
I  may  as  well  eat  mine." 

And  then  Carl  sat  down  and  pulled  his  bread 
and  cheese  out  of  his  pocket. 

"  Master  Carl,"  said  a  little  voice  at  his  elbow  ; 
and  Carl  saw  a  rabbit  sitting  beside  him. 

"  Now,  little  rabbit,"  said  Carl,  "  I  do  hope 
you're  not  going  to  say,  *  Carl,  give  me  some 
bread  and  cheese,'  for  indeed  I'm  very  hungry, 
and  there's  not  nearly  enough  for  us  both." 

"  Then  I  must  go  without  my  dinner,"  re- 
marked the  little  rabbit. 

"  That's  altogether  ridiculous,"  answered  Carl. 
"  Don't  you  see  how  many  dandelions  there  are 
all  about  under  the  trees." 

"  But  it's  so  unwholesome  living  entirely  on 
green  food,"  said  the  rabbit.  "  It  gives  one  the 
heartburn,  I  assure  you,  and  I'm  particularly 
ordered  to  eat  bread  and  cheese." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said   Carl,  "  you  shall  eat 


THE    SERVANT    OF   ALL 


49 


bread  and  cheese/'  and  he  fed  the  Uttle  rabbit 
out  of  his  hand,  and  kept  only  a  very  little  piece 
for  himself. 

^'  I  am  so  much  obliged  to  you/'  said  the 
rabbit,  when  she  got  up  to  go  away. 

"  Well,  really,  I  think  you  ought  to  be,'^ 
answered  Carl,  "  for  I  am  very  hungry  yet." 

On  went  Carl  through  the  woods  —  but  sud- 
denly he  stopped.  He  saw  some  one  sitting 
under  a  tree.  It  was  a  beggar,  all  in  rags, 
looking  very  miserable. 


Carl  went  up  to  the  beggar  and  said :  ''  I  am 
very  sorry  for  you.      Can  I  do  anything  ? " 

"  God  bless  you,  my  little  master,"  answered 
the  beggar.  **  See  how  sore  my  feet  are  from 
walking  so  long  upon  the  stony  ground  without 
shoes  or  stockings." 


DRAMATIC    STORIES- 


50  DRAMATIC   STORIES 


ii 


You  shall  have  mine,"  said  Carl,  sitting 
down  and  pulling  off  his  shoes  and  stockings. 

**  And  from  having  no  hat  on,  the  sun 
has  made  my  eyes  quite  weak,"  added  the 
beggar. 

"  I  see,"  said  Carl,  "  and  my  eyes  will  very 
soon  be  weak  if  I  give  you  my  hat,  but  I  will 
do  so,  nevertheless.  So  here  it  is,  and  good-by." 
Then  he  put  his  hat  on  the  beggar's  head  and 
ran  on,  bareheaded,  after  his  pigs. 

"  Carl,  Carl ! "  said  a  voice  from  the  ground. 

**  Where  are  you  ? "  asked  Carl. 

"  Here,  under  the  stone,  under  the  —  " 

"  Speak  a  little  louder,  will  you  ? "  said  Carl. 
"  I  can't  hear  what  you  say." 

^'  Here  I  am  then,"  said  the  voice,  "  almost 
crushed  beneath  the  stone,  just  beside  your  right 
foot.  Will  you  not  stoop  down  and  lift  the 
stone  and  save  me  ?  " 

**  Can't  you  just  wait  till  I  have  passed  the 
cavern,  and  then  I'll  come  back  to  you?" 

"  And  in  the  meantime  I  shall  be  crushed  to 
death,"  answered  the  worm. 

Carl  stooped  down  and  lifted  the  stone  from 
the  back  of  the  half-dead  worm. 


THE   SERVANT   OF   ALL 


51 


A  throne  was  standing  empty. 


52  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  I  thank  you,  Carl/'  said  the  worm.  "  Now 
go  and  look  after  your  pigs." 

"  But  they  are  all  gone  into  the  enchanted 
cavern  and,  once  in  there,  it's  not  a  bit  likely 
they'll  ever  come  out  again,"  said  Carl ;  **  but 
ril  go  to  the  town  at  any  rate  and  see  whether 
the  king  has  come." 

"  What  do  you  want  here,  Carl  ? "  asked  the 
porter  at  the  gate  of  the  city. 

"  I  came  to  sell  my  pigs." 

"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.      I've  lost  them,"  said  Carl. 

"  Then  come  down  with  me  to  the  market 
place.'' 

He  led  Carl  to  the  market  place  where  a 
throne  was  standing  empty.  In  front  of  the 
throne  stood  the  old  man  who  had  spoken  to 
Carl  in  the  morning,  and  beside  him  Carl  saw 
the  donkey,  the  rabbit,  the  beggar,  the  worm, 
and  an  army  of  soldiers  who  had  been  Carl's 
pigs. 

"Carl,"  said  the  old  man,  "where  have  you 
been  to-day  ?  " 

"  Through  the  woods,"  answered  Carl. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  there  ?  " 


THE    SERVANT    OF    ALL  53 

''  Indeed  I  hardly  know." 

*^  Carl  helped  me  with  my  load  of  wood," 
said  the  donkey. 

"  Carl  fed  me  with  his  own  dinner,"  said  the 
rabbit. 

"  Carl  gave  me  his  cap  and  shoes,"  said  the 
beggar. 

*^  Carl  saved  me  from  being  crushed,"  said  the 
worm. 

'' And  who  are  these?"  asked  Carl,  turning 
to  the  soldiers. 

"  We  are  your  pigs,  Carl,"  they  answered. 

**  Soldiers,  what  do  you  think  of  Carl  ? " 
asked  the  old  man. 

"  Carl  is  king,''  they  all  shouted. 

"  And  I  never  knew  it,"  said  Carl. 


OLD    BILLY 


There  was  once  an  old  goat  who  was  noted 
far  and  wide  for  his  shrewdness.  One  day  he 
found  himself  in  a  lion's  den. 

"  Dear  me,  this  will  never  do.*' 

He  turned  to  go  out,  but  suddenly  stopped. 
He  heard  a  deep  roar.  The  lion  was  coming 
home. 

"  My  horns,  however  sharp,  will  be  of  no  use 
to  me  against  this  monster,"  thought  Old  Billy. 
**  I  must  try  what  wits  can  do." 

54 


OLD    BILLY  55 

In  stalked  the  lion,  hungry  and  out  of  temper. 
Seeing  Old  Billy,  he  paused,  surprised,  and  then 
crouched  to  spring  upon  him. 

''  Oh,  how  lucky  I  am,^^  called  out  Old  Billy. 

"  What  is  this  ? ''  roared  the  lion,  angrily. 
"  You  mean  how  lucky  /  am,  for  it  is  great 
fortune  to  find  a  good  fat  goat  waiting  for  me 
in  my  own  den  when  I  am  hungry." 

''  No,"  said  Old  Billy,  "  I  am  the  lucky  one. 
I  am  a  lion  hunter,  and  good  fortune  has  sent 
you  to  me  just  when  my  horns  are  needing 
exercise —  Whoop  ! "  And  Old  Billy  pretended 
to  jump  for  joy. 

"  An  old  goat  a  lion  hunter  !  I  never  heard 
of  such  a  thing,"  said  the  lion. 

"  Never  mind.  Now  you  see  a  lion-killing 
goat,  but  you  will  not  live  to  see  another 
one.  This  has  been  rather  a  dull  week  for  me 
so  far  —  only  four  lions.  Prepare  to  die  this 
minute." 

Old  Billy  lowered  his  horns  and  rushed  at  the 
astonished  lion.  The  lion,  taken  by  surprise  at 
Old  Billy's  boldness,  turned  and  fled  out  of  the 
cave.  Old  Billy  slipped  out  as  soon  as  the  lion 
had  disappeared  and  ran  in  the  opposite  direction 
as  fast  as  his  legs  could  take  him. 


56  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  lion  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  a 
jackal.      He  told  the  jackal  the  story. 

**  You  say  it  was  an  old  whiskered  goat  ? " 
asked  the  jackal.  "  I  know  him.  That's  Old 
Billy.  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  You  say  he  called  himself 
a  lion  killer  ?  That's  a  good  joke.  Why,  he 
could  not  kill  a  rabbit." 

*' What's  this  you  tell  me  ?"  asked  the  lion. 

"  It's  Old  Billy,  I  say.  He  scared  you  with 
his  big  talk.  Come,  let's  hunt  him  up  and  kill 
him.      I'll  take  his  carcass  if  you  don't  want  it." 

Back  went  the  lion  and  the  jackal  to  catch 
Old  Billy.  Old  Billy  saw  them  coming.  He 
knew  they  would  overtake  him  in  a  few  minutes, 
and  he  feared  that  all  was  lost. 

"  I  can't  run  away  from  them,  and  I  can*t 
fight  them.  I  must  try  what  I  can  do  again 
with  my  wits."  Turning  around  he  ran  toward 
them. 

^^  Ha,  jackal !  "  he  called  out  in  an  angry 
tone.  **  How  is  this  ?  You  promised  to  bring 
me  three  lions  to  kill  and  you  have  brought  me 
only  one,  and  a  small  one  at  that.  Go  and  find 
two  more  at  once.  No,  wait  !  Wait  till  I  kill 
this  one." 


OLD    BILLY 


57 


Old  Billy  rushed  at  the  lion.  The  lion  roared 
at  the  jackal,  then  bounded  down  the  valley. 
The  jackal,  too,  got  away  as  quickly  as  he  could. 

''  Ha,  ha,  ha !  "  laughed  Old  Billy,  as  he 
trotted  homeward. 


HANS,    THE    SHEPHERD    BOY 


Hans  was  a  little  shepherd  boy  who  tended 
his  master's  flocks,  day  by  day.  One  morning, 
as  he  was  keeping  the  sheep  near  a  great  forest, 
a  hunter  rode  up  to  him. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  the  next  village,  my  lad  ? '' 
asked  the  hunter. 

"  It  is  just  six  miles,  sir,"  answered  Hans. 
**  But  there  is  only  a  sheep  track  through  the 
woods.  If  you  do  not  know  the  way,  you 
might  easily  get  lost,  sir." 

"  I   am  already   lost,   my    lad,    and   tired  and 

58 


HANS,   THE   SHEPHERD    BOY  59 

hungry.  Show  me  the  way  so  that  I  lose  no 
more  time,  and  I  will  pay  you  well." 

Hans  shook  his  head.  ^*  I  cannot  leave  the 
sheep,  sir.  They  might  stray  into  the  woods 
and  get  lost  or  be  eaten  by  wolves.'' 

''  If  such  a  thing  should  happen  to  any  of 
your  sheep,  I  will  pay  you  more  than  the  sheep 
are  worth.      Come,  show  me  the  way." 

''  Sir,  I  cannot  go,"  said  Hans.  "  These  sheep 
are  not  mine  —  they  are  my  master's.  He  pays 
me  to  take  care  of  them,  and  if  harm  should 
come  to  any  of  them,  no  one  would  be  to  blame 
but  me.      I  cannot  go." 

*'  Since  you  will  not  show  me  the  way,  then 
find  some  one  else  that  can  do  so,"  said  the 
hunter.  "  I  will  take  care  of  the  sheep  for  you 
while  you  are  gone." 

Hans  shook  his  head  again.      "  No,"  he  said, 

/ "  I   cannot  do  that.     You  are  a  stranger  to  the 

sheep,  and  they  do  not  know  your  voice,  and — " 

"And  what?"  asked  the  hunter.  "Can't 
you  trust  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hans.  "  You  tried  to  make  me 
break  my  word  to  my  master.  How  do  I  know 
that  you  would  keep  your  word  to  me  ?  " 

The   hunter    laughed.      "  You  are  right,  my 


6o  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

lad.  Show  me  the  path  of  which  you  spoke 
and  I  will  try  to  get  to  the  village  without  a 
guide/' 

Just  as  he  finished  speaking,  several  hunters 
came  out  of  the  forest  near  by.  When  they 
saw  their  master,  they  shouted  for  joy. 

"  Oh,  Prince,"  cried  one,  ''  we  feared  your 
Royal  Highness  was  lost." 

"Or  killed,"  cried  another. 

"A  prince,"  said  Hans,  in  surprise.  "Oh, 
sir,  I  hope  you  are  not  angry  with  me." 

"  No,  no,  my  lad.  I  wish  I  could  trust  my 
servants  as  your  master  can  trust  you." 

And  the  men  went  on  their  way. 

A  few  days  later  a  servant  was  sent  by  the 
prince  to  bring  Hans  to  the  palace. 

"  My  good  boy,"  said  the  prince  to  Hans. 
"  I  want  you  to  leave  your  sheep  and  come  to 
serve  me.  You  are  a  boy  whom  I  know  I  can 
trust." 

"  Oh,  sir,  I  thank  you  for  my  good  fortune. 
As  soon  as  my  master  can  find  another  boy  to 
keep  his  sheep  I  will  come  and  serve  you." 
And  Hans  went  back  to  his  master's  flocks. 


WHY   THE  TIP    OF    THE    FOX'S   TAIL 
IS    WHITE 

There  was  once  a  farmer's  wife  who  wantejd 
to  hire  a  shepherd  for  her  sheep. 

"  It  is  of  no  use  for  me  to  try  to  do  without 
one  any  longer,"  she  said.  So  one  day  she 
went    out   in   search    of  a   shepherd   that   could 


watch  her  cattle  and  call    her  sheep    properly. 
,On  the  way  she  happened  to  meet  a  bear,  and 
the  bear  asked  her  where  she  was  going. 


6i 


62  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

**  Oh,  I  am  going  to  hire  a  shepherd/'  she 
answered. 

'*  Will  you  take  me  for  your  shepherd  ? " 
asked  the  bear. 

''  Yes,"  said  the  woman,  "  if  you  can  watch 
over  the  cattle  and  call  the  sheep  properly." 
'  "  I    can,    hear     me.       Ho-o-o-y,"    growled 
the  bear. 

^'  No,  that  will  not  do.  I  cannot  hire  you," 
and  on  she  went. 

Soon  she  met  a  wolf.  **  Where  are  you 
going  ?  "  asked  the  wolf. 

"  Oh,  I  am  going  to  hire  a  shepherd,"  an- 
swered the  woman. 

"  Will  you  take  me  for  your  shepherd  ? " 
asked  the  wolf. 

"  Yes,  if  you  can  watch  over  the  cattle  and 
call  the  sheep  properly,"  replied  the  woman. 

''  I  can  do  that.  Uh-uh ! "  howled  the 
wolf. 

''  No,  I  cannot  hire  you,"  said  the  woman. 

A  little  farther  on  she  met  a  fox.  "What  is 
the  matter,  friend  ?  "  called  out  the  fox. 

"  Matter  enough,"  said  the  old  woman.  "I 
am  trying  to  find  a  shepherd  that  can  watch  my 
cattle  and  call  my  sheep  properly/^ 


THE   FOX'S   TAIL  63 

"Only  that?''  said  the  fox.  "Take  me 
for  your  shepherd.  Nothing  would  suit  me 
better.'' 

"  Can  you  watch  my  cattle  and  call  my 
sheep  properly  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  easier  for  a  fox,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Then  let  me  hear  you." 

"  Dil-dal-holom,  dil-dal-holom,"  called  out 
the  fox. 

"  Good,"  said  the  woman.  "  I  will  hire  you. 
Come  along  with  me." 

And  she  took  the  fox  for  her  shepherd. 

The  farmer's  wife  was  busy  all  the  afternoon 
over  the  butter  tub,  making  butter.  Every  now 
and  then  she  would  stop  her  churning  and  run 
to  the  door  to  look  for  her  new  shepherd.  But 
evening  came  and  still  the  fox  did  not  return. 

"  It  is  time  my  cattle  and  sheep  were  back 
from  the  fields.  I  can't  leave  my  churning,  or 
I'd  soon  find  out  why  they  are  not  here.  Here 
comes  the  fox  now.  Well,  my  shepherd,  where 
did  you  leave  the  cattle  and  sheep  ? "  she  asked, 
seeing  that  he  had  come  back  without  them. 

"  Their  heads  are  in  the  brook,"  answered  the 
fox. 


64 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


*'  What  is  this  you  say  ?  "  asked  the  woman, 
in  surprise. 

"  And  their  bones  are  in  the  bushes,"  he  con- 
tinued. 

"  Come,  come,  fox,  you  are  talking  nonsense. 
I  see  I  must  go  for  myself  and  find  out  how 
things  are."     And  away  she  went. 

As  soon  as  she  was  out  of  the  cottage  the  fox 
sprang  to  the  butter  tub. 

"  Ha,  ha,  some  fine  cream  for  me,"  he  said. 
"  Two  feasts  in  one  day,  and  such  feasts  !  "  He 
put   his  head  into  the  tub  and  drank  up  nearly 


all  of  the  cream.  He  was  about  to  take  the  last 
drop  when  the  farmer's  wife  came  back.  She 
saw  what  he  had  done. 

**  Wretched  beast,  you  have  eaten  all  my  sheep 
and  you   have  taken  nearly  all  my  cream.      Out 


THE   FOX'S   TAIL  6.5 

with  you  ! "  She  seized  a  clot  of  cream  that 
still  remained  in  the  tub  and  flung  it  at  the  fox, 
so  that  it  made  a  white  spot  on  his  tail.  ^^  There, 
take  that  for  all  your  wicked  ways.  You'll 
never  get  rid  of  that  spot  to  the  end  of  your 
life." 


DRAMATIC   STORIES- 


THE    RAT'S    DAUGHTER 

Mr.  Rat  was  well-to-do  in  life.  His  home 
had  long  been  in  a  snug,  warm,  and  cozy  bank 
by  one  of  the  largest  rice  fields  in  the  country- 
side. He  had  a  beautiful  daughter  whom  he 
wished  to  marry  to  the  highest  in  the  land. 
But  no  one  among  the  people  of  Mr.  Rat's 
neighborhood  could  tell  him  where  to  find  the 
mighty  person. 

*'  I  will  go  to  the  oracle  for  advice.  There 
is  no  one  around  here  who  can  help  me,"  said 
the  rat,  and  off  he  went. 

"  Welcome,  Mr.  Rat.  What  does  this  visit 
mean  ? "  asked  the  oracle  as  soon  as  he  caught 
sight  of  his  visitor. 

"  I  have  a  beautiful  daughter,''  said  the  rat, 
"  and  I  wish  to  marry  her  to  the  highest  in  the 
land.  No  one  can  tell  me  who  he  is,  and  so  I 
have  come  to  you.'' 

"  There  is  no  doubt,"  said  the  oracle,  slowly, 
"  that  His  Majesty,  the  Sun,  is  the  highest  per- 
son in  the  land.     Had  I   a  daughter,   I  should 

66 


THE   RAT'S   DAUGHTER 


67 


make  my  visit  to  him,  and  I  should  lose  no  time 
about  it/' 

''  A  thousand  thanks/'  said  the  rat.  *'  I  shall 
go  at  once.'' 

"  Good  fortune  go  with  you,"  said  the  oracle. 

Mr.  Rat  lost  no  time,  as  you  may  be  sure. 
He  presented  himself  to  the  sun  just  as  His 
Majesty  was  about  to  set. 


"Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  ''  I  have  a  beautiful 
daughter  whom  I  wish  to  offer  you  in  mar- 
riage." 


68  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Rat,  but  why,  may  I  ask, 
have  you  chosen  me  for  this  honor? " 

"  I  wish  to  marry  her  to  the  most  powerful 
person  in  the  world,"  answered  the  rat,  ''and 
that  is  why  I  offer  her  to  you/' 

"  Alas,  you  are  wrong  in  thinking  me  the 
most  powerful  person  in  the  world.  I  have 
found  one  more  powerful  than  I  am.  It  is  to 
him  you  should  marry  your  daughter." 

"  And  who  is  he,  may  I  ask  ? " 

''  Certainly,"  said  the  sun.  ''  It  is  the  cloud. 
He  comes  across  my  path  and  covers  my  face 
so  that  the  people  cannot  see  me.  As  long  as 
he  can  do  that  I  am  not  the  most  powerful  per- 
son in  the  world.  You  should  give  your 
daughter  in  marriage  to  no  one  else  than  the 
cloud." 

''  A  thousand  thanks  !  "  said  the  rat.  *'  I  will 
go  to  the  cloud  at  once." 

He  journeyed  on  till  he  saw  the  cloud  lying 
on  top  of  a  tall  mountain.  ''  Oh,  cloud,"  he 
said,  ''  I  have  a  beautiful  daughter  whom  I  wish 
to  marry  to  the  highest  in  the  land.  His 
Majesty,  the  Sun,  said  that  I  should  offer  my 
daughter  in  marriage  to  you." 


THE   RAT'S   DAUGHTER 


69 


"  I  am,  indeed,  honored,  Mr.  Rat.  It  is 
quite  true  as  the  sun  says.  I  can  go  across  his 
path  and  cover  his  face  so  that  people  cannot 
see  him.  But  if  you  wish  to  marry  your 
daughter  to  the  most  powerful  person,  you  must 


seek  the  wind.  I  have  no  strength  against  him. 
When  he  blows,  I  must  fly  away  where  he 
chooses.      Marry  your  daughter  to  the  wind." 

^^  You  surprise  me,''  said  the  rat,  "  but  I  be- 
lieve you.      Will  the  wind  soon  come  this  way  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  tell  you  that.  If  I 
were  you,  I  would  go  down  to  the  seashore  and 
await  his  coming,''  said  the  cloud. 


70  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  A  thousand  thanks,  I  shall  go  at  once/' 
said  the  rat,  and  he  ran  toward  the  seashore. 

The  wind  in  the  fairest  good  humor  came 
over  the  water  toward  Mr.  Rat. 

"  Ah,  wind,"  he  said,  ''  I  have  a  beautiful 
daughter  whom  I  wish  you  to  marry.  The 
cloud  tells  me  you  are  the  most  powerful  person 
in  the  world.  He  says  he  has  no  strength  when 
you  blow." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  the  wind,  '*  the  cloud  well 
knows  I  have  no  strength  to  match  his.      Where 
do  you  come  from,  Mr.  Rat  ? " 
.  "  I   have  a  snug,  warm  hole  in  a  cozy  bank 
near  the  largest  rice  field  in  the  country." 

"  Well,  well !  I  know  where  you  live.  Near 
that  very  place  there  is  one  stronger  than 
I  am.  It  is  a  stone  wall  that  fences  in  the 
home  of  one  of  your  neighbors.  I  have  no 
strength  against  that  wall.  If  you  would 
marry  your  daughter  to  the  most  powerful  in 
the  land,  wed  her  to  the  stone  wall.  I  wish 
you  a  good  day.*' 

"  There  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  return 
home,"  said  the  rat.  "  I  know  that  wall  very 
well."      And  off  he  started. 


THE    RAT'S    DAUGHTER 


71 


"Mr.  Wall/'  said  the  rat,  "the  wind  tells 
me  that  you  are  the  most  powerful  in  the  land. 
I  wish  you  to  marry  my  daughter." 

"I,  the  most  powerful?"  said  the  stone  wall, 
in  surprise ;  "  that  shows  how  little  he  knows. 
Only  yesterday  your  nephew,  a  big  brown  rat, 
gnawed  a  hole  right  through  me.  I,  the 
strongest  thing  in  the  world!  Marry  your 
daughter  to  the  big  brown  rat'' 

"'It  shall  be  so.  She  shall  marry  one  of  my 
people.  I  have  thought  for  a  long  time  that 
we  rats  are  the  highest  in  the  land." 


SHINGEBISS 


A  little  duck  whose  name  was  Shingebiss 
lived  by  himself  in  a  little  hut  and  was  very, 
very  happy.  Every  morning  he  went  to  the 
large  pond  near  his  home  in  search  of  food. 

It  was  all  very  well  when  the  days  were  warm. 
He  could  catch  the  fish  with  no  trouble  at  all. 
But  in  winter,  when  the  ice  formed  over  the 
water,  it  was  a  different  matter  indeed.  He 
had  to  hunt  for  places  where  the  rushes  came 
through  the  thin  ice.  Then  he  would  pull  out 
the  rush  with  his  strong  bill  and  have  an  open- 
ing to  the  water  in  no  time. 

He  had  only  four  logs  to  keep  his  fire. 
"  That  will  be  enough  for  me,"  he  said.  *^  Each 
log  is  large  and  will  burn  a  month.      I  do  not 


72 


SHINGEBISS  73 

need  another   log,  for  there  are  only  four  cold 
months  in  the  year/' 

Summer  and  winter  he  was  a  happy  little  duck. 

One  day  the  North  Wind  watched  the  brave 
little  duck  come  out  of  his  hut  and  go  in  search 
of  food.  He  said  to  himself,  "  What  a  strange 
creature  this  is  !  He  sings  and  is  out  on  the 
coldest  days.  But  I  shall  stop  his  singing. 
Woo-oo-oooo-oo-oo.'' 

He  blew  a  cold  blast  which  froze  the  ice  on 
the  pond.  Happy  Shingebiss  did  not  notice  the 
cold  blast.  He  went  on  to  the  pond,  caught  his 
fish,  and  ran  back  home,  singing  :  — 

"  Blow  you  may  your  coldest  breeze, 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze.'' 

"  How  strange  !  ''  said  the  North  Wind.  "  I 
cannot  freeze  him  out  here,  so  I  will  go  and 
visit  his  hut.  I  will  blow  my  icy  breath  upon 
him  and  freeze  him  then,  through  and  through." 

That  very  night  he  went  to  the  door  of  the 
hut  and  knocked.  Shingebiss  was  within,  sit- 
ting on  one  side  of  the  fire  and  singing  :  — 

"  Cold  North  Wind,  I  know  your  plan  ; 
You  are  but  my  fellow-man." 


74 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


He  heard  the  North  Wind  knock  at  the  door, 
but  he  pretended  that  he  did  not.  He  went  on 
singing :  — 

"  Heigh,  for  life  !  ho,  for  bliss  ! 
Who's  so  free  as  Shingebiss  ?  " 


He  felt  the  cold  wind  on  his  back.  **  I  know 
who  is  there,''  he  said.  But  he  went  on  sing- 
ing:— 

"  Cold  North  Wind,  I  know  your  plan ; 
You  are  but  my  fellow-man/' 

North  Wind  heard  and  grew  very  angry. 
He  blew  his  coldest  blast.  Shingebiss  felt  the 
cold  wind,  but  he  went  on  singing  as  before :  — 

"  Heigh,  for  life  !  ho,  for  bliss  ! 
Who's  so  free  as  Shingebiss  ? " 


SHiNGEBISS  75 

*'  I  cannot  freeze  him ;    perhaps  I  can  put  out 

his  lire/'  said  North  Wind.  "  He  cannot  live 
long  after  I  have  done  that.'* 

Then    North    Wind    opened    the    door  and 

walked    in.      He    took    a    seat   beside   the  fire. 

Shingebiss  still  pretended  not  to  see  him.  He 
went  on  singing  :  — 

"  You  may  blow  your  coldest  breeze, 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze." 

Shingebiss  took  the  poker  and  stirred  the  fire. 
It  grew  too  hot  for  North  Wind.  He  pushed 
back  his  chair  from  the  fire,  and  tried  to  blow 
his  icy  breath  on  the  blazing  logs.  Shingebiss 
went  on  singing  :  — 

"  Blow  the  strongest  wind  you  can, 
Shingebiss  is  still  your  man." 

"  I  cannot  stay  here,''  said  North  Wind.  So 
he  pushed  his  chair  still  farther  from  the  fire. 
"  I  am  melting,  and  I  cannot  put  out  his  fire. 
My  icy  breath  does  not  trouble  this  duck.  But 
I  will  freeze  the  pond  so  deep  that  he  will  not 
be  able  to  catch  any  more  fish.'' 

Then  North  Wind  blew  his  coldest  breath. 
''  The  ice  on  the  pond  is  very  thick  this  morn- 


76 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


ing,"  said  brave  little  Shingebiss.      "  I   must  go 
from  place  to  place  till  I  find  a  thin  spot." 


E3  CoMJToc/( 


At  last  he  found  some  rushes  growing  up 
through  the  ice.  With  his  beak  he  pulled  them 
out  and  made  a  hole.  He  looked  down  into  the 
hole,  and  saw  several  fine  fish.  "  A  good  meal 
for  me,''  he  said,  and  he  sang :  — 

"  Cold  North  Wind,  I  know  your  plan ; 
You  are  but  my  fellow-man.'* 

North  Wind  heard  the  song.  "This  is  a 
wonderful  duck.  Some  spirit  must  help  him. 
I  will  leave  him  in  peace  after  this." 

And  Shingebiss  never  saw  North  Wind  again. 


WEE    ROBIN'S    YULE    SONG 


One  day  an  old  gray  pussy 
saw  a  Wee  Robin  Redbreast 
hopping  on  a  brier,  and  pussy 
said,  "  Where  are  you  going. 
Wee  Robin  ? ''  And  Wee  Robin 
said,  *'  I  am  going  away  to  the 
king  to  sing  him  a  song  this  good  Yule  morn- 
ing." And  the  pussy  said,  ''  Come  here.  Wee 
Robin,  and  I'll  let  you  see  a  bonnie  white  ring 
around  my  neck."  But  Wee  Robin  said,  "  No, 
no,  gray  pussy ;  no,  no  !  You  worry  the  wee 
mousie,  but  you  shall  not  worry  me." 


So  Wee  Robin  flew  away  till  he  came  to  a 
turf  wall,  and  there  he  saw  a  gray,  greedy  hawk 
sitting.      The  gray,  greedy  hawk  said,  *^  Where 


77 


78 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


are  you  going,  Wee  Robin  ? ''  And  the  Wee 
Robin  said,  *'  I  am  going  away  to  the  king 
to  sing  him  a  song  this  good  Yule 
morning."  And  the  gray,  greedy 
hawk  said,  ''  Come  here,  Wee  Robin, 
and  ril  let  you  see  a  bonnie  feather 
in  my  wing."  But  Wee  Robin  said, 
"  No,  no,  gray,  greedy  hawk ;  no, 
no  !  You  pecked  at  the  wee  linnet, 
but  you  shall  not  peck  me." 


So  Wee  Robin  flew  away  till  he  came  to  the 
hollow  of  a  big  rock,  and  there  he  saw  a  sly  fox 
sitting.  And  the  sly  fox  said, 
"  Where  are  you  going.  Wee 
Robin?"  And  Wee  Robin 
said,  *'  I  am  going  away  to 
the  king  to  sing  him  a  song 
this  good  Yule  morning." 
And  sly  fox  said,  ''  Come  here. 
Wee  Robin,  and  I'll  let  you 
see  a  bonnie  spot  on  the  tip 
of  my  tail."  But  Wee  Robin  said,  ''No,  no, 
sly  fox  ;  no,  no  !  You  worry  the  wee  lammies, 
but  you  shall  not  worry  me." 

So  Wee  Robin  flew  away  till  he  came  to  a 


WEE    ROBIN'S    YULE   SONG 


79 


bonnie  brook,  and  there  he  saw  a   wee  hunter 

sitting.      And  the  wee  hunter  said,  "  Where  are 

you    going,   Wee    Robin?"      And    Wee    Robin 

said,    ''  I    im    going    to    /p 

the   king    to   sing    him 

a   song  this  good  Yule 

morning."      And    the 

wee  hunter  said,  '^  Come 

here.   Wee  Robin,  and 

Pll     give     you     some 

crumbs     out     of     my 

pouch."     But  Wee  Robin  said,   "  No,  no,  wee 

hunter ;   no,  no  !      You  shot  the  goldfinch,  but 

you  shall  not  shoot  me." 


So  Wee  Robin  flew  away  till  he  came  to  the 
king.  There  he  sat  on  a  window  sill  and  sang 
and  sang  a  bonnie  song. 

"  What  shall  we  give  to  the  Wee  Robin  for 
singing  us  his  bonnie  song  ? "  said  the  king  to 
the  queen. 

**  I  think  we  should  give  him  the  bonnie 
Wee  Wren  to  be  his  wife,  don't  you?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  king,  ''  that  will  be  best ; 
for  they  are  both  beautiful  and  good." 

So  they  called  Wee  Wren  and  asked  her  if 


8o 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


she   would   be   Wee    Robin's    wife.     And  Wee 
Wren  and  Wee  Robin  flew  away  together. 

**  O  Wee  Wren  and  Wee  Robin  !  may  you 
always  sing  sweetly  as  now,"  said  tlfe  king  and 
queen. 


BABOUSCKA 
A  RUSSIAN  LEGENP  OF  CHRISTMAS 

Russian  children  think  that  their  Christmas  gifts  are  brought  to  them 
by  a  little  old  woman  called  Babouscka.  Every  Christmas  Eve  she 
goes  from  house  to  house,  leaving  her  gifts  w^herever  there  is  a  child. 
She  hopes  that  among  the  children  she  may  some  day  find  the  one  she 
has  sought  so  long.  But  alw^ays  w^hen  she  asks  for  the  child,  the 
answer  is  the  same,  **  Farther  on  !     Farther  on  !  '* 

The  ST:Rangers  Three 

Babouscka  sits  before  the  fire, 

Upon  a  winter's  night. 

The  driving  winds  heap  up  the  snow, 

Her  hut  is  snug  and  tight; 

The  howling  winds,  they  only  make 

Babouscka's  fire  more  bright. 

She  hears  a  knocking  at  the  door ; 

So  late  —  who  can  it  be  ? 

She  hastes  to  lift  the  wooden  latch 

(No  thought  of  fear  has  she). 

The  wind-blown  candle  in  her  hand 

Shines  out  on  strangers  three. 

Their  beards  are  white  with  age,  and  snow 
That  in  the  darkness  flies ; 

DRAMATIC  STORIES 6        8 1 


82  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

Their  floating  locks  are  long  and  white, 
But  kindly  are  the  eyes 
That  sparkle  underneath  their  brows 
Like  stars  in  frosty -skies. 

"  Babouscka,  we  have  come  from  far : 

We  tarry  but  to  say, 

A  little  Prince  is  born  this  night 

Who  all  the  world  will  sway. 

Come,  join  the  search ;  come,  go  with  us 

Who  go  these  gifts  to  pay." 

Babouscka  shivers  at  the  door, 
"  I  would  I  might  behold 
The  little  Prince  who  shall  be  King ; 
But,  ah  !   the  night  is  cold. 
The  wind  so  fierce,  the  snow  so  deep. 
And  I,  good  sirs,  am  old." 

The  strangers  three,  no  word  they  speak. 

But  fade  in  snowy  space. 

Babouscka  sits  before  the  fire. 

And  looks  with  wistful  face. 

"  I  wish  that  I  had  questioned  them 

So  I  the  way  might  trace. 

**  When  morning  comes,  with  blessed  light, 
ril  early  be  awake, 


BABOUSCKA 


83 


Babouscka's  Search. 


84  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

My  staff  in  hand.      Til  go  —  perchance, 
Those  strangers  overtake  — 
And  for  the  Child  some  Httle  toys 
ril  carry  for  His  sake." 

Babouscka's  Search 

The  morning  came,  and,  staff  in  hand, 

She  wandered  in  the  snow  ; 

And  asked  the  way  of  all  she  met, 

But  none  the  way  could  show. 

"It  must  be  farther,  yet,"  she  sighed; 

'/Then  farther  will  I  go." 

And  still  'tis  said  on  Christmas  Eve, 
When  high  the  drifts  are  piled, 
With  staff  and  basket  on  her  arm, 
Babouscka  seeks  the  Child.. 
At  every  door  her  face  is  seen, 
Her  wistful  face  and  mild. 

At  every  door  her  gifts  she  leaves. 

And  bends  and  murmurs  low. 

Above  each  little  face  half  hid 

By  pillows  white  as  snow ; 

"  And  is  He  here  ?  " —  then  softly  sighs, 

"  Nay,  farther  must  I  go  !  " 


THE    COLD    COUNTRY 


Ever  so  many  days  ago,  and  ever  so  far  away, 
up  among  the  great  lakes,  it  was  always  summer. 
There  the  trees  were  green,  and  the  flowers 
never  ceased  to  bloom,  nor  the  birds  to  sing. 

Every  one  was  merry  and  happy  because  it  was 
summer  all  the  year. 

But  at  last  the  animals  and  the  trees  and  the 
flowers  made  up  their  minds  that  it  was  un- 
pleasant to  have  hot  weather  all  the  time. 

85 


86  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

''  Ah  me  !  "  said  the  Bear.  **  I  get  so  fat.  It 
would  be  as  easy  to  roll  as  to  walk/' 

**  Just  so,"  sighed  the  trees.  "  What  a  bore 
to  have  to  make  leaves  all  the  time  !  " 

"  I  am  comfortable,"  said  the  Owl,  and  he  gave 
his  feathers  a  lazy  shake  and  went  to  sleep  again. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  the  Fox,  "  I  think  that 
we  should  go  in  search  of  cold  weather  and 
bring  a  little  back  with  us  by  way  of  change." 

"  We  agree,"  said  all  the  discontented  ones. 

'*  I,  for  one,  will  go,"  said  Trowel-Ku,  the 
Beaver.  "  I  am  tired  of  summer  and  of  build- 
ing dams." 

"  Fewer  feathers  or  else  a  little  cold  would 
suit   me   best,"  said   Kanecri,  the   Loon. 

"  ril  go.  It's  always  too  hot  for  me,"  said 
Weeska,  the  Fox. 

"  We  cannot  do  without  the  Owl,  he  looks 
so  wise,"  said  the  Beaver.  At  last  they  agreed 
that  the  Beaver,  the  Loon,  the  Fox,  and  the 
Owl  should  go  in  search  of  cold  weather. 

"  All  ready  ?  "  asked  the  Fox. 

''  All  ready,  except  Hoots,  the  Owl,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  I  am  comfortable.  What's  the  use } "  said 
the  Owl,  and  he  fell  asleep  again. 


THE   COLD    COUNTRY  87 

But  the  Fox  pulled  his  toes,  and  the  Loon 
sang  in  his  ears,  and  at  last  they  woke  him. 
"  I  am  comfortable,"  he  said. 

"But  you  must  go;  we  cannot  do  without 
you,"  said  the  Beaver. 

"  He  shall  go,"  said  the  Fox.  "  You  must 
pull  out  one  of  his  feathers  every  time  he  falls 
asleep,  Beaver  ;   that  will  keep  him  awake. 

"  Now,  my  comrades,  fill  a  birch-bark  bag 
with  food,  and  we  will  set  off  at  once." 

After  a  long  journey  they  came  to  the  hut  of 
the  Weather  Spirit. 

*'  What  now  ? "  asked  the  Weather  Spirit, 
when  he  saw  the  four. 

*'  Sir,"  answered  Trowel-Ku,  the  Beaver,  "  I 
am  tired  of  summer  and  of  building  dams. 
Tell  us  where  we  can  buy  a  little  cold  to  take 
home  for  a  change." 

"  And  I,"  said  the  Fox,  "  I  find  it  always 
too  hot." 

"  For  my  part,"  said  the  Loon,  Kanecri,  "  you 
have  given  us  only  summer.  Either  give  me 
fewer  feathers  or  else  a  little  cold.  As  for  the 
trees,  they  are  all  growling  about  having  no  rest 
at  making  leaves." 


88  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

"  And  what  do  you  want?''  said  the  Weather 
Spirit  to  the  Owl. 

''  Oh,  Fm  comfortable/'  said  Hoota,  the  Owl, 
and  he  went  right  to  sleep. 


"  Well,''  said  the  Weather  Spirit,  ''  I  will 
take  you  to  the  cold  country,  and  you  can  all 
take  home  a  bag  of  cold  to  your  friends.  We 
will  start  at  once." 

"Dear  me,"  said  Trowel-Ku,  the  Beaver, 
"  this  must  be  the  cold  land.      OO-OO-OO." 

"  Let  us  fill  our  bag  and  be  off,"  cried 
Weeska,  the  Fox. 


THE   COLD    COUNTRY  89 

"  Here  is  too  much  cold  for  me ;  Pm  not 
comfortable/'  said  Hoota,  the  Owl.  "Boo, 
hoo,   how  it  bites  my  toes  !  " 

They  filled  their  bags  with  cold,  of  which 
there  was  plenty,  and  started  homeward ;  but 
after  a  little  while  they  all  became  so  cold  that 
their  teeth  chattered. 

"  What  now  ?  "  asked  the  Weather  Spirit. 

"  Too  much  cold,"  said  the  Beaver. 

**  I  think  one  bag  will  be  enough,'^  said  the 
Fox,  "and  we  could  carry  it  by  turns." 

"I'm  not  comfortable,"  said  the  Owl;  "my 
toes  are  frozen." 

"  Could  you  not  help  us  carry  the  cold  home, 
Weather  Spirit  ? "  asked  the  Loon. 

"  Ho,"  answered  the  Weather  Spirit,  for  now 
he  was  very  angry.  "  You  wanted  winter,  and 
I  gave  it  to  you.  You  had  leave  to  take  as 
much  cold  as  you  wanted,  and  you  were  greedy 
and  took  too  much.  Now  you  want  me  to 
help  you  carry  the  cold  home  !  I  will  warm 
you  a  little  and  send  your  cold  home,  too. 
I  will  tear  the  sunset  out  of  the  west  and 
throw  it  a  thousand  miles  into  your  country, 
and  I  will  take  these  bags  of  cold  and  throw 
them  after  the  sunset." 


90  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

They  watched  him  as  he  did  so.  Then  he 
turned  to  them  and  said,  "  Be  gone/' 

When  the  animals  reached  home  they  saw  a 
great  change.     The  trees  told  their  story. 

**  The  sunset  stained  some  of  our  leaves  yellow 
—  some  red  and  some  brown.  We  were  so 
frightened  when  the  sunset  burst  that  we  let  all 
our  leaves  fall.'' 

"I  see,"  said  the  Fox,  *' where  the  white  cold 
has  fallen  in  little  fleecy  blankets  on  the  naked 
trees.  Ooh!  Ooh!"  he  cried,  and  ran  shivering 
into  his  den. 

''  Woe  is  me,"  said  Trowel-Ku,  the  Beaver, 
"  the  water  has  become  white  stone." 

*^  I  am  comfortable  once  more,"  said  Hoota, 
the  Owl,  and  he  fell  asleep  in  a  hollow  stump. 


THE    TWELVE    MONTHS 


Katrinka  and  Dobrunka  were  sisters.  Their 
father  and  mother  were  dead  and  they  Uved  with 
a  cross  old  woman  in  a  hut  near  a  deep  forest. 

Katrinka,  the  younger  sister,  was  gentle  and 
good,  but  the  cross  old  woman  was  very  unkind 
to  her  and  made  her  do  all  the  work  in  the 
house.  Dobrunka,  idle  and  lazy  as  she  was,  sat 
at  home  and  did  much  as  she  pleased  all  the 
day  long. 

91 


92  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

One  winter  morning  the  cross  old  woman 
said  to  Katrinka,  **  Come,  finish  your  sweeping 
and  cooking  and  spinning  and  weaving.  You 
have  been  at  it  a  long  time  and  there  is  other 
work  for  you  to  do." 

"  Yes,  Katrinka,"  added  the  idle  sister.  "You 
must  go  into  the  woods  this  morning  and  get  me 
some  violets.      I  want  some  violets  this  very  day." 

"  Dear  Dobrunka,"  said  Katrinka,  "  it  is 
winter  and  the  ground  is  all  covered  with  snow. 
I  cannot  get  violets  in  the  woods  now." 

"  I  must  have  a  bunch  of  violets.  So  say  no 
more  about  it,  but  do  as  I  tell  you,"  said  Do- 
brunka. 

"  Yes,  hold  your  tongue  and  go  to  the  woods 
as  you  are  told.  If  you  come  back  without  the 
violets,  I  shall  punish  you."  As  the  cross  old 
woman  finished  speaking  she  opened  the  door 
and  pushed  Katrinka,  who  had  not  so  much  as 
a  shawl  to  throw  about  her  shoulders,  out  into 
the  cold. 

Katrinka  made  her  way  to  the  forest  through 
the  deep  snow,  but  not  a  leaf  or  a  blade  of  grass 
was  to  be  seen  anywhere.  There  was  not  even 
a  path  among  the  trees. 


THE    TWELVE    MONTHS 


93 


"  Violets  —  where  shall  I  find  any  ?  Snow, 
snow  everywhere.  I  believe  Pve  lost  my 
way."      Poor  Katrinka  shivered  with  the  cold. 

As  she  went  on,  she  saw  a  light  at-  the 
top  of  a  hill  just  beyond  her.  Katrinka  stopped 
and  looked,  for  she  could  scarcely  believe  her 
own  eyes.  ^'  Can  it  be  a  fire  ?  It  is,  it  is.  I'll 
go  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  see  if  I  can  just 
warm  myself.''  Still  shivering  with  the  cold, 
she  climbed  the  hill.  As  she  drew  nearer  she 
saw  twelve  old  men  wrapped  in  cloaks  from  head 
to  foot,  sitting  on  stones  around  a  blazing  fire. 

**  There  are  twelve  of  them,"  said  Katrinka 
to  herself.  ''  Three  of  them  have  on  cloaks 
white  like  the  snow  on  the  ground.  Three  of 
the  cloaks  are  green,  three  are  yellow,  and  three 
purple.      But  I  am   not   afraid.      Fll  go  up  to 


94  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

them  and  ask  if  I  may  warm  myself  a  little  at 
their  fire." 

The  twelve  old  men  did  not  seem  to  notice 
the  child  until  she  drew  quite  near. 

"  Please,  good  men,  may  I  warm  myself  a 
little  at  your  fire  ?      I   am  very  cold,"  she  said. 

"  Welcome,  dear  child,"  said  one  who  wore 
a  white  cloak.  "  Come  near  the  fire.  We 
are  the  Twelve   Months." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Katrinka.  She  went  for- 
ward and  seated  herself.  "  I  fear  I  have  lost 
my  way." 

"  What  brings  you  into  the  woods  when  the 
snow  is  deep  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  old  men. 

**  Oh,  I  came  for  violets." 

"Violets?  This  is  not  the  time  for  them," 
said  January. 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  want  the  violets  for  my 
sister,  and  if  I  do  not  get  them,  I  shall  be  pun- 
ished when"  I  go  home.  Can  you  tell  me 
where  I  can  find  them  ?" 

"  This  is  our  work,"  said  the  three  men  in 
the  green  cloaks  like  the  leaves  of  spring. 
"  We  will  do  what  we  can  to  help  this  child." 
March,  April,  and  May  rose  and  stirred  the 
fire  ;  then,  waving  their  long  staffs,  they  vsaid  :  — 


THE   TWELVE    MONTHS  95 

"  Blow,  wind  ;  melt,  snow  ! 
Bloom,  flowers;  sing,  birds  ! 

"  Child,  spring  is  here.  Gather  your 
violets/' 

Katrinka  lost  no  time,  and  she  picked  as 
many  as  her  little  hands  could  hold. 

"  Thank  you,  good  men,  thank  you  all. 
Now  I  must  run  home.''     And  away  she  went. 

No  sooner  had  she  gone  than  the  three  old 
men  with  white  cloaks  waved  their  staffs  over 
the  fire,  and  it  was  winter  again,  everywhere. 

The  next  day  as  the  twelve  old  men  were 
sitting  in  their  places  around  the  fire,  they 
looked  up  and  saw  Katrinka  standing  once 
more  before  them. 

"  Please,  good  men,"  said  the  child,  "  may  I 
warm  myself  again  at  your  fire  ?  I  am  very 
cold." 

''  Welcome,  dear  child,"  said  January.  "  But 
what  brings  you  back  to  us  ?  " 

"  I  came  to  find  strawberries  for  my  sister," 
said  Katrinka,  whose  teeth  were  now  chattering 
with  the  cold. 

"  Strawberries  ?  "  said  January.  *^  This  is  not 
the  time  for  strawberries." 


96 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


"  I  know  it/'  said  Katrinka,  "  but  my  sister 
says  she  must  have  strawberries  for  her  supper 
to-night.  If  I  do  not  get  them,  I  shall  be  pun- 
ished when  I  go  home.  Can  you  tell  me 
where  I   can  find  them  ?  " 

"  This  is  our  work,"  said  the  three  old  men  in 
the  cloaks  yellow  as  the  ripe  grain  of  summer. 
"  We  will  do  what  we  can  to  help  you,  child." 
June,  July,  and  August  rose  and  stirred  the 
fire  ;   then,  waving  their  staffs,  they  said:  — 

"  Melt,  snow  ;  sing,  birds  ! 
Bud,  trees;  bloom,  flowers! 
Shine,  warm  sun  ! 

"  Child,  summer  is  here.  Gather  your  straw- 
berries." 


THE   TWELVE    MONTHS  97 

Katrinka  filled  her  apron  with  the  ripe  red 
berries. 

"  Thank  you,  kind  sirs,"  she  said.  "  Thank 
you.  Now  I  must  run  home."  And  off  she 
went.  Again  the  three  old  men  in  the  white 
cloaks  waved  their  staffs  over  the  fire,  and  a 
deep  snow  covered  everything. 

Once  more  Katrinka  went  to  the  forest,  and 
once  more  she  found  the  twelve  old  men  sitting 
around  the  bright  fire. 

"  Welcome  again,  dear  child.  Come  and 
warm  yourself,  then  tell  us  why  you  have  come 
to  us  this  third  time." 

*^  My  sister  says  she  must  have  some  ripe  red 
apples,"  said  Katrinka,  as  she  drew  nearer  the 
fire. 

"  Ripe  red  apples,  child  ? "  said  January. 
**  This  is  not  the  time  for   ripe   red  apples." 

*^  I  know  it,"  said  Katrinka,  "  but  my  sister 
wants  some  red  apples,  and  I  dare  not  go  home 
without  them.  Can  you  tell  me  where  1  can 
find  some  ? " 

"  This  is  our  work,"  said  the  three  old  men 
with  cloaks  purple  like  the  grapes  of  autumn. 
"  We  must  do  what  we  can  to  help  this  child." 


DRAMATIC    STORIES  - 


98 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


September,    October,    and    November   rose   and 
stirred  the  fire.      Waving  their  wands,  they  said  : 

"  Melt,  snow  ;  shine,  sun  ! 
Chirp,  crickets  ;  ripen,  nuts  ! 
Trees,  put  on  your  dresses  of  red,  brown,  and  gold  ! 


"  Child,  autumn  is  here.      Shake  the  tree  only 
twice.      You  may  have  all  the  apples  that  drop.'' 


THE   TWELVE    MONTHS  99 

Katrinka  shook  the  tree.  One  apple  fell. 
She  shook  the  tree  again.      Another  apple  fell. 

''  Only  two  apples,"  said  Katrinka  to  herself, 
*^  but  I  cannot  ask  for  more."  Then  she  said 
to  the  old  men,  ''  Thank  you,  for  all  your  kind- 
ness to  me.      Now  I  must  go  home." 

Once  more  the  three  old  men  in  white  waved 
their  staffs  over  the  fire,  and  snow  and  ice 
covered  everything  and  a  cold  wind  blew. 

< 
"  Where    did  you   get   these    apples  ? "   asked 

Dobrunka,  looking  at  the  two  ripe  ones  Ka- 
trinka had  put  into   her  lap. 

^*  Out  in  the  woods,  dear  sister.  The  tree 
was  full  of  ripe  red  apples,"  said  the  kind 
Katrinka. 

"  You  have  brought  me  but  two.  Why  did 
you  not  bring  me  more  ? " 

"  I  could  not.  I  was  allowed  to  shake  the 
tree  but  twice,  and  these  two  apples  were  all  that 
fell." 

"  You  do  not  tell  the  truth.  Whoever  heard 
of  only  two  apples  falling  ?  "  said  the  old  woman, 
in  a  very  cross  way. 

"  You  ate  all  the  rest  on  the  way  home,"  said 
Dobrunka.      "  There    must    be    a    great    many 


100  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

more  where  these  came  from.  Come  with 
me,"  she  said  to  the  cross  old  woman,  "  you 
and  I  will  go  to  the  woods  and  find  the  tree 
ourselves.  Then  we  can  have  as  many  apples 
as  we  wish." 

They  wrapped  themselves  up  well  in  warm 
cloaks  and  set  out  for  the  forest. 

"  I  see  nothing  but  snow,  snow,  snow,  snow 
everywhere,  and  I  do  not  see  a  tree  in  bloom," 
said  Dobrunka,  who  now  began  to  feel  the  cold 
bitterly  in  spite  of  her  warm  clothing. 

"  That  looks  like  a  fire  at  the  top  of  the  hill. 
Let's  go  to  it,"  said  the  cross  old  woman. 

They  soon  reached  the  place  where  the  twelve 
old  men  were  still  sitting  around  their  fire. 
Dobrunka  went  forward. 

"  We  saw  your  fire  on  the  hill  and  have  come 
to  warm  ourselves,"  she  said. 

"  Why^  have  you  come  here,  child?"  asked 
January. 

"  I  will  not  tell  you,"  said  Dobrunka. 

"  Then  we  cannot  help  you,"  said  the  old 
men. 

"  Well,  if  you  must  know,"  called  out  the 
cross  old  woman,  "  we  came  for  ripe  red  apples. 


THE    TWELVE    MONTHS  loi 

Tell  this  child  where  to  find  them,  and  be  quick 
about  it.      Don't  keep  us  waiting  in  the  cold.'^ 

The  twelve  old  men  looked  very  angry,  but 
they  did  not  say  one  word.  Then  the  three  in 
white  cloaks  stood  up  and  waved  their  staffs. 
Out  went  the  fire.  A  bitter  wind  blew  and  a 
deep,  deep  snow  began  to  cover  everything. 

"  The  fire  has  gone  out  and  it  is  getting  dark. 
All  the  men  are  gone.  Where  are  we?"  called 
out  Dobrunka,  in  great  fear. 

''  I  do  not  know.  I  do  not  even  know  the 
way  home.  We  are  lost,  Dobrunka  —  lost,  I 
say.     Where  shall  we  find  shelter  for  the  night?" 

Blinded  by  the  thick  snow,  they  trudged  on 
and  on,  searching  for  a  path  that  would  lead 
them  out  of  the  forest. 

Katrinka,  alone  in  the  little  hut,  waited  and 
waited. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  they  would  come.  They've 
been  in  the  woods  so  long  that  I  fear  some- 
thing has  happened." 

As  she  spoke  these  words  a  knocking  was 
heard  at  the  door. 

"'  There  they  are,"  said  the  child  ;  and  she  ran 
to    welcome    them    back.      But    what    was    her 


102 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


surprise  on  opening  the  door  to  find,  instead 
of  Dobrunka  and  the  cross  old  woman,  her 
twelve  friends  of  the  forest  standing  before  her. 


"  Welcome,  my  friends  of  the  woods.     Come 


m. 


'*  We  have  come  to  tell  you,  Katrinka,  that 
Dobrunka  and  the  cross  old  woman  will  never 
come  back.  The  hut  and  the  garden  and  every- 
thing is  yours,''  said  January. 

"  And  we  shall  still  be  your  friends  and  bring 
violets  to  your  door  every  year,"  said  March, 
April,  and  May. 


THE    TWELVE    MONTHS  103 

"  We  shall  bring  ripe  red  strawberries  and 
plenty  of  sunshine,"  said  June,  July,  and  August. 

"We  shall  bring  ripe  red  apples  on  your  trees, 
and  you  may  shake  the  trees  as  often  as  you 
like,"  said  September,  October,  and  November. 

"  And  we  shall  make  the  fire  glow  in  your 
chimney  and  cover  the  roof  of  your  hut  in 
winter  with  a  soft  blanket  of  snow,"  said  De- 
cember, January,  and  February. 


THE    WEATHER    HEN 

Everybody  —  men,  women,  and  especially  chil- 
dren—  knows  that  there  is  a  neat  little  red  brick^ 
cottage  on  the  slopes  of  Mt.  Olympus.  It  is  set 
in  the  midst  of  a  great  garden.  There  is  a 
beehive  on  one  side  of  the  path  to  the  front 
door  and  a  butterfly  hive  on  the  other ;  and  at 
the  end  of  the  garden  is  a  well  through  which 
you  can  look  down  on  the  world  below. 

In  this  cottage,  which  is  closed  all  winter,  lives 
Harlequin,  Columbine,  Pantaloon,  and  Clown. 

One  cold  gray  day  Clown  said  :  '^  The  weather 
is  depressing.  Let's  have  the  Weather  Hen 
down  and  complain." 

"  She  has  an  awful  temper,''  said  Columbine. 
*'  But  ril  whistle  for  her  if  you  like."  She  put 
her  lips  together  and  made  a  little  sound.  In  a 
moment  the  Weather  Hen  pushed  open  the 
garden  gate. 

"  Who  blew  ? "  she  asked  fiercely. 

"  I  did,"  said  Columbine. 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  the  Weather  Hen. 

"  Please,  Mrs.  Hen,"  said  Columbine,  "  could 

104 


THE    WEATHER    HEN 


105 


you  change  the   weather  ?    We  are   so  tired  of 
this." 

The  Weather   Hen  waddled  on  to   the  grass, 
put  her  head  on  one  side,  and  looked  at  them 


crossly.      "  Never,"  she  said,  and  she  ruffled  her 
feathers  and  went  to  sleep. 

*^  What  are  we  to  do  now  ? "  said  Columbine. 

''  Sing  to  her,"  said  Clown.      ''  Pll  begin." 

"  An  elephant  flying  too  high 
Hit  a  bumble  bee  straight  in  the  eye." 

The  Weather  Hen  opened  one  eye. 
"  You  sing  next,"  said  Clown. 

" '  When  there's  room  up  above, 
Why  come  here  and  shove  ? ' 
Said  the  bumble  bee,  starting  to  cry." 


io6  DRAMATIC   STORIES  / 

The  Weather  Hen  opened  her  other  eye. 

'^Splendid/'  she  said,  waking  up  completely. 
*'  Now  ril  tell  you  the  news.  You  know  the 
way  the  Weather  Cock  sits  on  the  top  of  church 
spires  and  makes  believe  he  rules  the  wind  — 
its  ridiculous,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  Columbine. 

"  We  Weather  Hens  never  get  our  rights. 
Why,  if  I  didn't  change  my  mind  several  times 
a  day,  the  wind  would  always  blow  from  the 
same  quarter.  But  bless  you,  my  dears, '  the 
Weather  Cock  always  gets  the  credit.  So  I  was 
annoyed  this  spring  and  just  set  my  foot  down.'' 

"  Please  take  it  up,"  said  Columbine,  **  and 
give  us  some  nice  weather." 

'*  And  what  credit  shall  I  get  for  it  ? "  said 
the  Weather  Hen.  "  The  Weather  Cock  will 
spin  around  and  swell  up  his  comb  for  all  the 
world  to  think  he  has  altered  the  weather  him- 
self. And  any  way,  its  grumble,  grumble,  grum- 
ble, day  and  night,  no  matter  what  the  weather 
is." 

"  Plenty  of  sunshine  again  will  put  everybody 
in  a  good  humor,"  said  Columbine.  "The  new 
potatoes  are  frostbitten,  and  the  flowers  and  the 
fruit  are  coming  to  dreadful  harm." 


THE   WEATHER    HEN  107 

''Well,  ril  see,  my  dear,"  said  the  Weather 
Hen.  ''If  I  think  the  world  will  be  a  bit  more 
grateful  for  fine  weather,  I  shall  do  what  I 
can." 

"  It's  very  important  to  the  world  —  fine 
weather,"   said  Columbine. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  said  the  Weather  Hen. 
"  The  weather  has  more  effect  on  the  day's  work 
and  the  day's  happiness  than  most  people  ever 
know." 

"  And  when  people  learn  not  to  grumble," 
said  Harlequin,  "  and  are  happy,  all  days  will 
seem  fine." 

"  Bosh,"  said  the  Weather  Hen. 

They  heard  a  low  whistle.  The  Weather 
Hen  started  up. 

"  That's  for  me,"  she  said. 

"  Promise,"  said  Columbine,  "  promise  sun, 
sun,  give  us  our  summer."  They  heard  a  sound 
like  a  gate  creaking. 

"  That's  the  wind  changing,"  said  the  Weather 
Hen.  "  Now  look  out."  And  she  was  gone. 
They  all  ran  to  the  well  to  look  down  at  the 
world  below. 


WHAT    WAS    HER    NAME? 


**  Wake  up,"  said  an  old  gentleman  dressed  in 
brown  and  white,  as  he  gently  shook  the  shoulder 
of  a  lady  in  green  who  was  lying  sound  asleep 
under  the  trees. 

'*  Wake  up,  ma'am  !  it  is  your  watch  now,  and 
time  for  me  to  take  myself  off."  The  young 
lady  stirred  a  very  little  and  opened  one  of  her 
eyes  the  least  little  bit. 

''  Who  are  you  ?  "  she  asked  drowsily.  "  What 
is  your  name  ?  " 

"My  name  is  Winter.  What  is  yours?"  re- 
plied the  old  man. 

"I  have  not  the  faintest  idea,"  said  the  lady, 
closing  her  eyes  again. 

"  Humph,"  growled  the  old  man,  "  a  pretty 
person  you  are  to  take  my  place.  Well,  good 
day.  Madam  Sleepyhead,  and  good  luck  to  you." 


io8 


WHAT    WAS    HER    NAME?  109 

And  off  he  went  over  the  dead  leaves.  As 
soon  as  he  was  gone,  the  young  lady  opened  her 
eyes  and  looked  about  her. 

''  Madam  Sleepyhead,  indeed,"  she  said.  "  I 
am  sure  that  is  not  my  name,  anyhow.  The 
question  is,  What  is  it?" 

She  looked  about  her  again.  ''  Nothing  to 
be  seen  here  but  the  bare  branches  of  the  trees, 
and  the  dead  brown  leaves  and  dry  moss  under- 
foot," she  said.  ''  Trees,  do  you  happen  to  know 
what  my  name  is  ? "  she  asked. 

"  We  do  not  know,"  they  said,  "  but  perhaps 
when  the  wind  comes  he  will  be  able  to  tell 
you."  The  girl  shivered  a  little  and  drew  her 
green  cloak  about  her  and  waited. 

By  and  by  the  wind  came  blustering  along. 
He  caught  the  trees  by  their  branches,  and  shook 
them  a  rough,  friendly  greeting. 

"  Well,  boys,"  he  shouted,  ''  old  winter  is 
gone,  is  he  ?  I  wish  you  joy  for  his  departure. 
But  where  is  the  lady  who  was  coming  to  take 
his  place?  " 

"  She  is  here,"  answered  the  trees,  ''  sitting  on 
the  ground,  but  she  does  not  know  her  name, 
which  seems  to  trouble  her." 

''Ho,  ho!''  roared  the   wind.     "Not  know 


no 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


her  own  name  ?  That  is  news,  indeed.  And 
here  she  has  been  sleeping  while  all  the  world 
has  been  looking  for  her  and  calling  her  and 
wondering  where  upon  earth  she  was.  Come, 
young  lady,  we^ll  show^  you  the  way  to  your 
dressing  room,  which  has  been  ready  and  waiting 
for  you  for  a  fortnight  or  more.'* 

So  he  led  the  way  through  the  forest  and  the 
girl  followed,  rubbing  her  sleepy  eyes  and  drag- 
ging her  cloak  behind  her. 

Now  it  was  a  very  singular  thing  that  what- 
ever the  green  mantle  touched  instantly  turned 


green  itself.       The    brown  moss    put  out  little 
tufts  of  emerald  velvet,  fresh  shoots  came  push- 


WHAT    WAS    HER    NAME?  iii 

ing  up  from  the  dead  dry  grass,  and  even  the 
shrubs  and  twigs  broke  out  with  tiny  swelling 
buds,  all  ready  to  open  into  leaves. 

By  and  by  the  wind  paused  and  pushed  aside 
the  branches  which  made  a  close  screen  before 
him. 

"  Here  is  your  dressing  room,  young  madam,'' 
he  said  with  a  low  bow.  *^  Be  pleased  to  enter  it 
and  you  will  find  all  things  in  readiness.  But  I 
beg  you  to  make  your  toilet  speedily,  for  all  the 
world  is  waiting  for  you." 

Greatly  wondering,  the  young  girl  passed 
through  the  screen  of  branches  and  found  her- 
self in  a  most  marvelous  place.  "  How  strange,'* 
she  said,  "  the  pine  trees  make  a  dense  green 
wall  all  around,  and  the  ground  is  carpeted  with 
pine  needles,  soft  and  thick  and  brown.  And 
here  are  piled  great  heaps  of  buds  all  ready  to 
blossom  —  violets,  anemones,  hepaticas,  blood- 
root,  and  the  pale  pink  buds  of  the  Mayflower. 
They  are  all  asleep  and  waiting  for  some  one  to 
waken  them.  Perhaps  if  I  do  it,  they  will  tell 
me  in  turn  what  my  name  is." 

She  shook  the  buds  lightly,  and  lo !  every 
blossom  opened  its  eyes  and  raised  its  head  and 


112 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


said :  "  Welcome,  gracious  lady !  Welcome  !  we 
have  looked  for  you  long/' 

The  young  girl  took  the  lovely  blossoms  and 
twined  them  in  her  fair  locks  and  hung  them  in 
garlands  round  her  white  neck. 

"  What  a  beautiful  carved  casket  hidden  under 
this  pile  of  spicy  leaves,"  said  the  girl.      "  And 


a  soft  rustling  sound  comes  from  the  inside  of  it 
—  the  softest  sound  that  I  ever  heard.  I'll  lift 
the  lid."  She  lifted  the  lid.  ^'Butterflies, 
rainbow-tinted,  thousands  and  thousands!"  she 
cried. 

Out  they  flew,  softly,  glitteringly,  gayly,  flutter- 
ing, and  hovered  about  the  maiden's  head.      The 


WHAT    WAS    HER    NAME?  113 

soft  sound  of  their  wings  seemed  to  say,  "  Wel- 
come, welcome  !  " 

At  the  same  moment  a  great  flock  of  beautiful 
birds  came  flying  and  lighted  on  the  branches, 
and  they,  too,  sang,  *^  Welcome,  welcome." 

The  maiden  clasped^  her  hands  and  cried: 
"  Why  are  you  all  so  glad  to  see  me  ?  I  feel  — 
I  know  —  that  you  are  all  mine,  and  I  am 
yours.  But  how  is  it  ?  Who  am  I  ?  What  is 
my  name? " 

The  birds  and  the  flowers  and  rainbow- 
tinted  butterflies  and  the  pine  trees  all  answered  : 
''  Spring  !  The  beautiful,  the  long-expected  ! 
Hail  to  the  Maiden  Spring  !  " 


DRAMATIC  STORIES- 


THE    SKYLARK'S    SPURS 


Out  in  the  meadow  grass  sat  a  fine  young 
skylark  looking  very  unhappy. 

*' What  is  the  matter  with  you,  eoiusin?" 
asked  the  meadow  fairy. 

**  I  am  so  unhappy.  I  want  to  build  a  nest 
and  I  have  no  mate,"  replied  the  lark. 

"Why  don't  you  look  for  a  mate,  then?'' 
said  the  meadow  fairy,  laughing  at  him.  '*  Fly 
up  and  sing  a  beautiful  song,  and  perhaps  some 
pretty  lark  will  hear  you  and  want  to  be  your 
mate." 

"  Oh,   I  don't  like  to  fly  up,"  said  the  lark. 


114 


THE   SKYLARK'S   SPURS  115 

'*  If  I  do,  my  feet  will  be  seen  and  no  other  bird 
has  feet  like  mine.  My  claws  are  enough  to 
frighten  any  one,  they  are  so  long.'' 

"Let  me  see  them,"  said  the  fairy. 

The  lark  lifted  up  one  of  his  feet  which  he 
had  kept  hidden  in  the  long  grass. 

'*  It  looks  very  fierce,"  said  the  fairy.  "  Your 
hind  claw  is  at  least  one  inch  long,  and  all 
your  toes  have  very  sharp  points.  Are  you  sure 
you  never  use  them  to  fight  with?" 

"  Never,"  said  the  lark.  "  But  these  claws 
grow  longer  and  longer.  I  am  so  ashamed  of 
their  being  seen  that  I  often  lie  in  the  grass 
instead  of  going  up  to  sing  as  I  should  like 
to  do." 

"  I  think,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  pull  them 
off,"  said  the  fairy. 

''  That  is  not  so  easy  to  do,''  said  the  lark. 
"  You  cannot  think  how  fast  they  stick  on." 

"  Well,  I  am  sorry  for  you.  You  must  be  a 
quarrelsome  bird  or  you  would  not  have  such 
long  spurs.  I  cannot  help  you.  Good  morn- 
ing." 

So  the  fairy  went  off  and  the  poor  lark  sat 
moping  in  the  grass. 

By  and  by  a  grasshopper  came  chirping  up 


ii6  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

to  the  lark  and  tried  to  comfort  him.  ''  I  have 
known  you  for  some  time/'  said  the  grasshopper, 
''  and  I  have  never  seen  you  fight.  I  v^ill  tell 
every  one  that  you  are  a  good-tempered  bird  and 
that  you  are  looking  for  a  mate." 

"  Thank  you,  grasshopper,"  said  the  lark. 

"  At  the  same  time,"  said  the  grasshopper,  "  I 
should  be  glad  if  you  could  tell  me  the  use  of 
those  claws.  The  question  might  be  asked  me 
and  I  should  not  know  what  to  answer." 

"  Grasshopper,"  said  the  lark,  "  I  do  not 
know  what  they  are  for ;    that    is    the    truth." 

"  Well,"  said  the  kind  grasshopper,  "  perhaps 
time  will  show."     So  he  went  away. 

The  lark  was  delighted  with  the  grasshopper's 
promise  to  speak  well  of  him.  He  flew  up 
into  the  air,  and  the  higher  he  went,  the  sweeter 
and  louder  he  sang. 

A  pretty  brown  lark  heard  him  sing  and 
cried,  ''  I  never  heard  so  beautiful  a  song  in  my 
life,  —  never  !  " 

'*  It  was  sung  by  my  friend  the  skylark," 
said  the  grasshopper.  ^^  He  is  a  very  good- 
tempered  bird  and  he  wants  a  mate." 

"  Indeed  !  "   said  the  pretty  brown  lark. 

*'  Well    done,   my  friend  !  "   cried  the    grass- 


THE    SKYLARK'S    SPURS  117 

hopper,  when  the  lark  came  down.  '*  Your 
song  greatly  pleased  the  little  brown  lark.  I 
will  take  you  to  see  her." 

The  skylark  thought  he  had  never  seen  such 
a  pretty  bird  before.  He  asked  her  not  to 
mind  his  ugly  spurs  and  to  be  his  mate. 

"  I  do  not  mind  your  spurs  very  much,"  said 
the  brown  lark.  ''  Indeed,  they  seem  to  be  of 
no  use  to  you." 

The  skylark  soon  won  her  for  his  mate, 
and  they  built  a  cunning  little  nest  in  the 
grass. 

After  several  days  the  fairy  came  back  and 
met  the  grasshopper. 

'*  How  is  your  friend,  the  lark,  who  found 
such  a  pretty  brown  mate  the  other  day  ? " 
asked  the  fairy. 

^*  Suppose  you  come  and  see  the  eggs  in  their 
nest,"  said  the  grasshopper,  '' three  pretty  eggs 
spotted  with  brown.  I  am  sure  the  lark  will 
show  them  to  you  with  pleasure." 

Off  they  went  together.  What  was  their  sur- 
prise to  find  the  poor  little  brown  lark  sitting 
on  her  nest  with  drooping  head  and  trembling 
limbs. 


ii8 


DRAMATIC  STORIES 


"  Ah,  my  pretty  eggs,"  she  said.  *'  I  am  so 
unhappy  about  them.  I  have  just  heard  the 
farmer  say  that  to-morrow  he  will  begin  to  cut 
the  grass." 

"  That  is  very  sad,"  said  the  grasshopper. 
*'  What  a  pity  that  you  laid  your  eggs  on  the 
ground." 

"  Larks  always  do,"  said  the  poor  little  brown 
bird.  "Ah;  my  pretty  eggs.  I  shall  never  hear 
my  nestlings  chirp." 

"  We  are  sorry  that  we  can  do  nothing  to 
help  you,"  said  the  fairy  and  the  grasshopper. 

Just  then  the  skylark  dropped  down  from  the 
white  cloud  where  he  had  been  singing. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  he  asked  his  mate 
when  he  saw  her  drooping.     The  little  brown 


THE   SKYLARK'S   SPURS  119 

lark  told  him  just  what  she  had  told  the  fairy  and 
the  grasshopper,  and  he  was  very  much  shocked. 

But  presently  he  lifted  one  of  his  feet  and 
then  the  other,  and  looked  at  his  long  spurs. 

"  If  I  had  only  laid  my  eggs  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hedge,'^  said  the  poor  little  mother, 
'^  I  could  have  reared  my  birds  before  harvest 
time/' 

"  My  dear,"  said  the  skylark,  ''  don't  be  un- 
happy/' So  saying,  he  hopped  up  to  the  eggs, 
and  laying  one  foot  upon  the  prettiest,  he  clasped 
it  with  his  long  spur.  Strange  to  say,  it  fitted 
exactly. 

*^  Oh,  my  clever  mate,"  cried  the  poor  mother 
bird.  **  Do  you  think  you  can  carry  them 
away  for  me  ?  " 

**  To  be  sure  I  can,"  said  the  lark,  hopping 
on,  with  the  egg  in  his  right  foot,  to  the 
hedge. 

When  he  had  got  through  the  hedge,  he  laid 
the  egg  down  in  a  nice  little  hollow  place  and 
went  back  for  the  others. 

'*  Oh,  hurrah  !  "  cried  the  fairy.  "  Never  be 
ashamed  of  your  long  spurs  again." 

''  Hurrah  !  "  cried  the  grasshopper,  "  lark- 
spurs forever  !  " 


THE    TRAVELER    AND    THE    CAMEL 

Long,  long  ago  a  company  of  merchants  with 
loaded  camels  were  traveling  across  a  desert. 
After  they  had  gone  a  short  distance  they  found, 
to  their  great  surprise,  that  one  of  their  richly 
laden  beasts  had  strayed  away.  They  looked 
about  in  all  directions,  but  they  did  not  find 
him.  On  they  went  and  gave  up  the  camel  for 
lost. 

They  had  gone  but  a  little  way  when  they 
met  a  traveler  who  was  crossing  the  desert  alone. 

"  Good  man,"  said  one  of  the  merchants, 
**  did  you  chance  to  see  a  stray  camel  as  you 
came  on  your  way  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  stray  camel  in  the  desert.  Is  he 
not  blind  in  one  eye  ?  "  asked  the  traveler, 

**  He  is,''  cried  the  merchants  in  one  voice. 

"  And  lame  in  his  foreleg  ?  " 

"  He  is,  he  is,"  was  the  answer. 

'^  Has  he  not  lost  a  front  tooth  ?  " 

^^  He  has,"  came  the  answer  again. 

"  And  is  he  not  loaded  with  honey  on  one 
side  and  grain  on  the  other  ?  " 


THE.  TRAVELER    AND    THE    CAMEL       121 

*^  With  honey  and  grain !  He  has  seen  our 
camel.      Come,  tell  us  where  we  can  find  him." 

"  I  have  not  seen  your  camel,"  said  the  trav- 
eler;  and  he  started  again  on  his  way. 


The  merchants  were  convinced  by  this  time 
that  the  traveler  had  seen  their  camel.  They 
suspected,  too,  that  he  had  taken  the  jewels  and 
gold  which  were  part  of  the  beast's  load.  They 
were  very  angry. 

'    "' Wretch!    he  knows  it's   our   camel,"   cried 
one  of  the  merchants. 


122  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"Very  likely  he  has  taken  the  riches  with 
which  it  was  loaded,"  cried  another. 

"  We'll  seize  him  and  have  justice,"  called  out 
a  third.  "  Come!"  and  the  merchants  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  traveler,  who  was  now  well  on  his 
way.  They  soon  overtook  him.  They  seized 
him  and  brought  him  to  the  town  before  the 
nearest  judge,  to  whom  they  told  the  story. 

The  judge  listened  carefully  until  the  story 
was  finished.  "  I  believe  this  traveler  knows 
more  about  that  camel  than  he  cares  to  tell," 
said  the  judge.  Then  turning  to  the  traveler  he 
said :  "  You  asked  the  merchants  whether  their 
camel  is  not  blind  in  one  eye.  How  did  you 
learn  that  ? " 

"  I  saw  that  the  grass  on  only  one  side  of  the 
path  was  eaten,"  answered  the  traveler. 

*'  How  did  you  learn  he  is  lame  in  one  of  the 
forelegs  ? " 

"The  print  of  the  left  forefoot  was  lighter 
than  that  of  the  others." 

"  How  did  you  learn  that  he  has  lost  one 
tooth  ? " 

"  A  small  tuft  of  grass  was  left  uneaten  in  the 
center  of  each  bite," 


THE   TRAVELER   AND    THE   CAMEL      123 

"  But  how  could  you  tell  that  he  is  loaded 
on  one  side  with  grain  and  on  the  other  with 
honey  ?" 

*'  The  ants  were  busy  on  one  side  of  the  path 
and  flies  on  the  other." 

*'  Come,  sir,"  said  the  judge,  **  tell  where  this 
camel  can  be  found." 

*'  He  has  not  strayed  far  away,  as  there  are 
no  fresher  footprints  either  behind  him  or  before 
him,"  answered  the  traveler. 

Then  the  judge  turned  to  the  merchants  and 
said :  — 

'^  Go  and  look  for  your  camel." 

The  merchants  did  so,  and  they  found  their 
camel  very  near  the  spot  from  which  it  had 
strayed. 


\ 


THE    FOREST    FULL    OF    FRIENDS 


There  was  once  a  king  who  chose  every  New 
Year's  Day  a  Httle  boy  and  a  Httle  girl  from 
among  the  children  of  his  kingdom.  These 
children  he  kept  at  the  palace  to  be  brought 
up  among  the  pages  and  maids  of  honor.  But 
he  always  chose  the  best-looking  and  the  best- 
behaved  that    could    be   found. 

Early  one  New  Year's  morning  a  little  or- 
phan girl  named  Elsa  and  the  old  woman  of 
the  forest,  with  whom  she  lived,  went  to  the 
king's   palace.     The  old   woman    thought    Elsa 


124 


THE   FOREST   FULL    OF   FRIENDS         125 

the  most  beautiful  child  in  the  world.  When 
they  came  to  the  palace  door,  they  asked  if 
they  might  go  in.  The  servant  said,  ^^  Where 
are   your   friends  ?  " 

"I  have  no  friends,''  said  Elsa,  "except  this 
woman." 

"  You  must  have  other  friends,"  said  the  serv- 
ant. "  Do  you  not  know  that  every  child 
coming  to-day  must  bring  five  friends  to  intro- 
duce him  to  the  king?"  So  Elsa  and  the  old 
woman  turned  and  went  away  very  unhappy. 

The  next  day  the  old  woman  said  to  Elsa,  '^  I 
think  you  had  better  go  into  the  forest  to  play." 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?"  asked  Elsa. 
"  The  forest  is  big  and  dark.  It  is  called  the 
Forest  Full  of  Fears.  Are  you  not  afraid  to 
have  me  go  there  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  the  old  woman  ;  "  I  think 
you  may  find  some  friends  there." 

"  How  strange  !  "  said  Elsa. 

"  Come  here,  Elsa,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"  I  have  something  to  give  you.  Here  are 
some  drops  that  I  have  been  keeping  for  you 
for  many  years." 

"And  what  are  they  for?"  asked  Elsa. 


126  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  To  put  on  your  ears  so  that  you  may  under- 
stand any  one  who  speaks  to  you  in  a  different 
language  from  your  own.  I  think  you  may  find 
some  friends  in  the  forest  that  you  could  not 
understand  without  them.  So  take  them  with 
you.'^ 

When  Elsa  reached  the  Forest  Full  of  Fears, 
she  rubbed  one  of  the  drops  on  each  of  her  ears. 
Then  a  strange  thing  happened.  The  leaves  on 
the  trees  seemed  to  rustle  just  as  they  had  before, 
but  she  knew  now  that  they  said,  "  Welcome 
to  the  Forest  Full  of  Friends,  Elsa.'' 

"Dear  me,''  said  Elsa,  "is  that  what  you 
have  been  saying  all  along  ?  I  thought  this 
was  the  Forest  Full  of  Fears." 

All  the  \| eaves  said,  "  No,  no,  no,  no,  no  ;  " 
and  they  waVed  again  and  said,  "  Welcome  to 
the  Forest  Full  of  Friends." 

Elsa  heard  a  little  brown  bird  that  sat  singing 
on  the  branch  of  a  tree.  "  Is  it  possible  that  I 
can  understand  the  bird,  too?" 

She  put  another  tiny  drop  on  each  of  her  ears 
and  listened.  The  little  bird  was  singing : 
"  Good  morning  !  good  morning  !  It's  a  beau- 
tiful morning." 


THE   FOREST    FULL   OF   FRIENDS        127 

"Good  morning,'*  said  Elsa.  "  It  is  a  lovely 
morning.      Do  you  live  here  in  the  forest?'' 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  Yes,  indeed  !  Pm  very  glad 
to  see  you,"  said  the  bird. 

Elsa  walked  on  into  the  forest  and  sat  down 
on  a  mossy  bank  to  rest.  While  she  was  sitting 
there  a  squirrel  came  down  from  a  branch  over 
her  head  and  began  chirruping  merrily  at  her. 
''  Jolly  old  forest,  isn't  it  ?  You've  no  idea 
where  my  nuts  are,  have  you  ?  But  you're  per- 
fectly welcome  to  any  you  find." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Elsa,  "  I  should  like  a 
nut  or  two.  My  walk  has  made  me  hungry." 
The  squirrel  made  no  answer,  but  ran  up  the 
side  of  the  tree  again.  He  dropped  her  a  nut 
from  high  up  in  an  oak  tree  and  it  fell  right  into 
her  lap.     "  JoHy  old  forest,  isn't  it  .?^  " 

"  Surely  there  never  was  a  forest  more  polite 
and  with  more  friendly  people  in  it,"  answered 
Elsa. 

After  Elsa  left  the  squirrel's  tree,  she  met  a 
little  chipmunk,  a  frog,  and  a  wood  mouse.  She 
could  understand  them,  every  one ;  and  they 
told  her  they  didn't  need  any  drops  to  under- 
stand her.  '*  We  have  a  way  of  understanding 
boys  and  girls  that  we  have  known  for  years," 


128 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


Elsa  ill  the  Forest. 


THE    FOREST    FULL    OF    FRIENDS         129 

they  all  said.  "  It  is  growing  dark/'  said  Elsa. 
'*  I  must  run  home  and  tell  the  good  woman 
all  that  has  happened.  Now  I  have  plenty 
of  friends.'' 

**  Sure  enough,"  said  the  old  woman  when 
Elsa  told  her.  "  We  will  go  to  the  palace  again, 
and  we  can  tell  the  porter  that  you  have  a 
Forest  Full  of  Friends,  if  he  will  come  here  to 
see  them." 

When  the  old  woman  woke  in  the  morning, 
she  found  Elsa  already  dressed  for  the  journey. 

"  Why,  what  in  the  world  is  all  this  ? " 
asked  the  woman.  For  there  was  Elsa  with 
a  squirrel,  a  bird,  a  frog,  a  butterfly,  and  a 
cricket  ready  to  go  with  her. 

''  These  are  my  five  friends,"  said  Elsa.  "  I 
went  to  the  forest  very  early  and  asked  them  if 
they  would  be  willing  to  go  with  us.  When 
they  knew  why  I  wanted  them,  they  were  all 
glad  to  come." 

Ofl^  they  went. 

When  the  porter  at  the  door  of  the  palace 
saw  Elsa  and  the  old  woman,  he  knew  them  at 
once.  ''But  why  have  you  all  these  creatures 
with  you  ?     Are  they  presents  to  the  king  r " 

DRAMATIC    STORIES 9 


130 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


''  No/'  said  Elsa.  ^*  They  are  the  five  friends 
you  said  I  must  have  to  introduce  me.  Last 
time  I  came,  I  had  only  one  friend;  now  I  have 
plenty." 

**  Very  good,"  said  the  porter,  "  but  I  do  not 
see  how  these  friends  can  introduce  you  to  the 
king.      He  will  not  understand  them." 

"  Only  let  me  take  them  in.  I  promise  that  he 
shall  understand  what  they  say."  So  the  porter 
threw  open  the  door  and  led  them  to  the  king. 

**  Your  Majesty,"  said  Elsa,  ^'  I  have  brought 
five  friends  to  introduce  me.      If  you  will  only 


touch   each  of  your   ears  with  a  drop  from  my 

little  bottle,  you  will  know  what  they  are  saying." 

The  king  was  much  surprised.      He  took  the 


THE   FOREST   FULL    OF   FRIENDS         131 

little  bottle  from  Elsa,  and  touched  each  of  his 
ears.  Just  then  the  bird  began  to  chirp,  the 
squirrel  began  to  chatter,  the '  frog  began  to 
croak,  the  cricket  began  to  sing,  and  the  butter- 
fly flew  close  to  the  king's  ear  and  whispered 
into  it.  The  king  was  much  pleased  to  hear 
them    all  and  to  understand  what  they   said. 

**  So  you  wish  to  come  to  live  in  the  palace  ?  '^ 
he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  Elsa,  "  if  your  Majesty  wants  me, 
and  if  my  oldest  friend,  who  has  taken  care  of 
me  all  my  life,  can  stay  here,  too." 

''  It  shall  be  done,"  said  the  king.  "  And 
would  you  not  like  to  keep  some  of  your  forest 
friends  here  with  you  ?  I  should  really  like  to 
have  them  for  my  friends,  too." 

*^  They  will  be  your  friends,  but  they  would 
not  be  happy  away  from  their  own  forest." 
Then  Elsa  took  her  five  friends  to  the  palace 
gate.  She  knew  they  could  easily  find  their 
way  back  to  the  forest.  "  And  I  do  not  think 
I  can  be  happy,  either,  unless  I  can  often  go 
back  there  to  visit  them,"  said  Elsa  to  the  king. 

*' You  shall  do  so,"  said  the  king,  "and  from 
this  day  the  Forest  Full  of  Fears  shall  be  called 
the  Forest  Full  of  Friends." 


WORK 


lll-H     |:!!J    I 


"  Sweet  wind,  fair  wind,  where  have  you  been?" 
*'  I've   been    sweeping  the    cobwebs  out   of  the 

sky; 
I've  been  grinding  a  grist  in  the  mill  hard  by ; 
I've  been  laughing  at  work,  while  others  sigh ; 
Let  those  laugh  who  win." 


132 


WORK  133 

'*  Sweet  rain,  soft  rain,  what  are  you  doing  ?  *' 
*^  Pm  urging  the  corn  to  fill  out  its  cells. 
Pm  helping  the  lily  to  fashion  its  bells; 
Pm  swelling  the  torrent  and  brimming  the  wells; 
Is  that  worth  pursuing?" 

''  Redbreast,  redbreast,  what  have  you  done  ?  " 
'*  Pve  been  watching  the  nest  where  my  fledg- 
lings lie  ; 
Pve  sung  them  to  sleep  with  a  lullaby; 
By  and  by  I  shall  teach  them  to  fly. 
Up  and  away,  every  one." 

*'  Honeybee,  honeybee,  where  are  you  going  ? " 
'*  To  fill  my  basket  with  precious  pelf; 
To  toil  for  my  neighbor  as  well  as  myself; 
To  find  out  the  sweetest  flower  that  grows. 
Be  it  a  thistle  or  be  it  a  rose  — 
A  secret  worth  knowing  !  " 

"  Wind  and  rain  fulfilling  His  word  ! 

Tell  me  was  ever  a  legend  heard 

Where  the  wind,  commanded  to  blow,  deferred ; 

Or  the  rain  that  was  bidden  to  fall  demurred  ?  " 


SWAN,    HOLD   FAST 


Peter  leaves  Home 

Once  upon  a  time  there  were  three  brothers. 
The  eldest  was  called  Jacob,  the  second  Hans, 
and  the  youngest  Peter.  This  youngest  brother 
was  very  unhappy  in  his  home,  for  he  was  treated 
shamefully  by  the  other  two.  If  anything  went 
wrong,  Peter  had  to  bear  the  blame.  So  the 
poor  fellow  led  a  sad  life,  and,  day  and  night,  he 
wondered  what  he  could  do  to  make  it  better. 

One  day  when  he  was  in  the  wood  gathering 
sticks  and  crying  bitterly,  he  saw  a  little  old 
woman,  and  the  little  old  woman  saw  him.  As 
soon  as  she  caught  sight  of  Peter,  she  came  up 

134 


SWAN,    HOLD    FAST  135 

to   him  and  asked    him  what  was    the  matter. 
Peter  told  her  all  his  troubles  as  best  he  could. 

''  Come,  come,  my  good  lad,"  said  the  little 
old  woman,  ^'  stop  crying.  Isn't  the  world  wide 
enough  ? " 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  said  Peter,  "  but  what  can  I 
do?" 

"  Do  ?     Why  don't  you  set  out  and  try  your  ' 
luck  somewhere  else?     Set  out,  I  say,  this  very 
day." 

"  I  will,"  said  Peter.  "  I'll  stand  this  ill 
treatment  no  longer.  Early  to-morrow  morn- 
ing I'll  go  out  into  the  world  and  seek  my 
fortune."  So  saying,  he  bid  the  old  woman 
"  good  day  "  and  went  back  to  his  home. 

True  to  his  word,  Peter  left  his  home  early 
the  next  morning  and  set  out  to  seek  his  fortune 
as  the  old  woman  had  advised  him  to  do.  He 
had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  he  sat  down 
on  a  hill  to  rest.  After  all,  he  was  not  at  all 
sure  he  was  glad  to  leave  home. 

**  The  world  is  wide,  indeed,"  said  Peter  to 
himself.  There's  no  telling  what  the  lad  would 
have  done  if  the  little  old  woman  had  not 
appeared  just  then  before  him. 

''  So  far,  so  good,   my  lad,"  she  said,  tapping 


136  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

him  gently  on  the  shoulder.  "  But  why  do  you 
sit  here  ?     What  do  you  mean  to  do  now  ? '' 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Peter. 

The  old  woman  laughed  kindly.  "  Til  tell 
you  what  you  must  do  to  make  your  fortune. 
But  you  must  promise  me  one  thing  before  I 
tell  you.'' 

"  What  is  that?  "  said  Peter. 

*'  You  must  promise  not  to  forget  me  when 
you  have  made  your  fortune.'' 

"That  I  will,"  said  Peter,  earnestly. 

"  Very  well,  then.  Keep  right  on  this  path, 
and  at  sunset  you  will  come  to  a  large  oak  tree 
which  you  will  find  growing  at  the  crossroads." 

"  That  is  not  hard,"  said  Peter. 

"  Fastened  to  this  oak  tree  you  will  find  a 
beautiful  swan.  That  is  no  common  swan,  my 
lad,  and  you  must  get  it  from  the  tree,  for  it 
will  bring  you  your  fortune." 

"  It  must  be  a  magic  swan.  But  how  will  it 
help  me?^'  asked  Peter,  who  was  most  anxious 
now  to  hear  the  rest  of  the  plan. 

"  It  is  a  magic  swan,"  continued  the  old 
woman.  "  Every  one  who  sees  that  swan  will 
wish  to  have  it,  or,  at  least,  every  one  will  wish 
to    have  a  feather    from   its  beautiful   plumage. 


SWAN,    HOLD    FAST  137 

Let  any  one  who  likes  try  to  pull  out  a  feather. 
As  soon  as  that  swan  feels  so  much  as  a  finger 
on  it,  it  will  scream  out." 

"  Then  what  must  I  do  ?  " 

''  You  must  say,  '  Swan,  hold  fast,'  and  the 
one  who  has  tried  to  get  a  feather  will  be  held 
so  fast  that  nothing  will  set  him  free  until  you 
touch  him  with  this  little  stick  which  I  shall 
give  you.'' 

'^  Surely  it  is  a  magic  swan,"  said  Peter. 

''But  I  have  not  told  you  all.  When  you 
have  caught  a  lot  of  people  in  that  way,  go 
straight  on  with  them  until  you  come  to  a 
beautiful  palace  in  which  the  king  lives  with 
his  daughter,  whom  he  loves  very  much.  This 
princess,  his  daughter,  is  so  sad  that  she  never 
laughs.  It  grieves  the  king  greatly  to  see  her 
unhappy  all  the  time,  so  he  has  made  it  known 
that  he  will  give  either  the  princess  in  marriage 
or  half  his  kingdom  to  the  man  who  can  make 
her  laugh.  Now,  my  lad,  get  the  magic  swan, 
go  to  the  palace,  make  the  princess  laugh  — 
that  is  your  fortune.  But  one  thing  more,  be 
careful  not  to  waken  the  man  you  will  find  sleep- 
ing under  the  oak  tree.  Remember  your 
promise." 


138  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

Peter  promised  again  not  to  forget  her,  and  he 
started  on  his  journey. 

The  Magic  Swan 

At  sunset  he  came  to   the  oak  tree.      There 
lay  the  man    fast   asleep,  and  a  beautiful    swan 


was  tied  to  the  tree  close  by,  —  all  was  just  as 
the  old  woman  had  said.  Peter  lost  no  time  in 
loosening  the  swan,  and  he  was  careful  to  lead 
it  away  without  waking  the  bird's  master. 
They  walked  on  and  on  for  some  time,  when  he 
came  to  a  place  where  some  young  men  were 
at  work.  As  soon  as  the  men  saw  Peter,  one 
of  them  said  :  — 

"  What  a  beautiful  swan  !      I   should   like  to 
have  one  of  those  fine  feathers." 


SWAN,    HOLD    FAST  139 

''  Pull  one  of  them,  then,"  called  out  Peter. 
Just  as  the  young  man  laid  his  hand  on  the  bird, 
it  screamed  out,  and  Peter  called,  ^'  Swan,  hold 
fast."  Try  as  hard  as  he  might,  the  young 
fellow  could  not  get  his  hand  away  from  the 
swan.  He  pulled  and  pulled.  The  more  he 
pulled,  the  more  his  companions  laughed  at  him. 

Soon  a  young  girl  came  up  to  see  what  all  the 
laughing  was  about.  When  she  saw  the  poor 
man  fastened  to  the  swan,  she  said:  *' That  is 
too  bad.  I  will  free  you  in  a  minute."  With 
that  she  stretched  out  her  hand  to  free  him  and 
the  bird  screamed. 

"Swan,  hold  fast,"  called  out  Peter.  The 
young  girl  was  caught  and  had  to  go  on  with 
Peter. 

On  went  Peter  with  his  captives.  They  had 
not  gone  far  when  they  met  a  chimney-sweep, 
who  laughed  and  laughed  to  see  a  man  and  a 
girl  fastened  to  the  swan's  tail. 

"  Oh,  my  friend,"  called  out  the  young  girl, 
"  give  me  your  hand  and  set  me  free." 

"That  I  will,"  said  the  chimney-sweep.  As  he 
did  so,  the  bird  screamed.  "  Swan,  hold  fast," 
cried  Peter,  and  the  chimney-sweep  had  to  go 
along  with  them,  whether  he  wished  to  or  not. 


140  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

They  soon  came  to  a  village  where  a  traveling 
circus  was  giving  a  performance.  When  the 
clown  saw  the  strange  three,  he  could  not  help 
laughing  as  he  called  out,  "  Well,  that's  the 
queerest  flock  of  birds  I  ever  saw." 


"  It's    nothing    to    laugh   at,"    called   out   the 
chimney-sweep.     "  Stop  your  nonsense  and  come 


SWAN,    HOLD    FAST      •  141 

and  set  me  free.  I'll  do  a  good  turn  for  you 
some  day," 

The  clown  took  the  chimney-sweep's  out- 
stretched hand,  and  the  bird  screamed.  "  Swan, 
hold  fast,"  called  out  Peter.  So  the  clown  had 
to  go  along  with  the  rest. 

Now  when  the  mayor  of  the  village  saw  what 
had  happened,  he  was  very  angry.  "  It's  all  some 
foolish  trick.  Come,  sirs,  stop  this  nonsense," 
he  said,  as  he  seized  the  clown  by  the  hand  just 
as  the  bird  screamed  again. 

'*  Swan,  hold  fast,"  called  out  Peter,  and  the 
mayor  had  to  go  along  with  the  rest. 

Peter  finds  his  Fortune 

In  a  short  time,  Peter,  with  his  captives, 
reached  the  palace  gates,  and  he  made  straight 
for  the  palace  to  see  the  princess. 

He  soon  spied  a  beautiful  young  woman  with 
a  sad  look  on  her  face  standing  at  one  of  the 
palace  windows.  Peter  knew  in  a  moment  it 
was  the  princess.  But  no  sooner  did  the  prin- 
cess catch  sight  of  Peter  and  his  train  than  she 
burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  She  laughed  and 
laughed  and  laughed,  and  all  her  ladies-in-wait- 
ing joined  her. 


142 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


"  The  princess  has  laughed,  the  princess  has 
laughed,"  cried  the  king  as  he  rushed  out  of 
the  palace.      "  Who  has  done  this  ? " 

"  It  was  the  boy  with  the  swan,'^  called  the 
ladies-in-waiting. 

"  My  good  lad,"  said  the  king,  ''  do  you  know 
what  I  promised  to  any  one  who  could  make 
my  daughter  laugh  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  Peter. 

"  Then  which  do  you  choose,  one  half  my 
kingdom  or  the  princess  in  marriage  ? " 

"  I  choose  one  half  your  kingdom,"  said  Peter. 

"  As  you  say,"  answered  the  king. 

Peter  touched  the  young  man,  then  the  girl, 
the  sweep,  the  clown,  and,  last  of  all,  the  angry 
mayor,  with  the  little  stick  which  the  old 
woman  had  given  him,  and  all  his  captives  were 
free,  and  you  may  be  sure  they  ran  home  as  fast 


SWAN,    HOLD    FAST  143 

P 
as  they  could  go.      But  Peter  stood  by  with  his 

swan. 

"  That's  a  splendid  bird,"  the  princess  said  to 
him.      "  Do  let  me  stroke  it." 

She  just  laid  her  hand  upon  one  of  its  feathers 
when  the  bird  screamed.  The  mischievous 
Peter  called  out,  "  Swan,  hold  fast,"  and  the 
princess  could  no  more  get  away  than  if  she  had 
been  bound  by  the  strongest  rope. 

So  Peter  had  half  the  kingdom  and  the 
princess,  too,  for  his  fortune.  But  he  did  not 
forget  his  promise  to  the  woman  who  had  been 
so  kind  to  him. 


WHY    ANIMALS    FEAR    FIRE 


"  Come,  come,  my  butterfly.  Take  a  message 
to  my  friends  quickly.  Tell  them  to  come  to 
me  here  on  the  green  hill  with  all  haste,"  said 
the  whispering  grass. 

Away  flew  the  butterfly  and  soon  came  back 
with  the  deer,  the  wolf,  and  the  fox. 

**  Listen  to  me,  my  friends.  South  Wind  has 
just  told  me  there  is  great  danger  for  you  this 


144 


WHY   ANIMALS   FEAR   FIRE  145 

day.  Three  hunters  have  come  across  the 
prairie  to  take  your  lives." 

'*  Hunters  ?  What  are  they?"  asked  the 
fox. 

''  We  have  never  heard  of  such  a  thing,"  said 
the  wolf. 

''  They  are  Indians,"  said  the  w^hispering  grass, 
"with  bows  and  arrows  that  will  pierce  your 
hearts." 

"  What  must  we  do  ?  "  they  all  asked.  "  You 
are  wise,  whispering  grass,  tell  us  how  to  save 
ourselves." 

"  Go  to  your  homes  and  stay  there.  When 
all  is  safe,  I'll  send  my  butterfly  to  tell  you  to 
come  to  me." 

The  animals  hurried  away. 

When  the  Indians  reached  the  green  hill,  they 
could  see  nothing  but  butterflies  hovering  above 
the  grass. 

"  There  is  no  game  in  this  land  and  I  am 
hungry.      Let  us  go  back,"  said  the  first  Indian. 

"  Not  so,"  said  the  second  Indian.  "  Let  us 
wait.  We  can  eat  grass ;  see,  here  is  a  hill  all 
covered  with  it.  The  animals  eat  it,  why  not 
we  ?"  said  the  second.  . 

DRAMATIC    STORIES I O 


146  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

*^  But  it  is  whispering  grass.  And  he  whu 
eats  of  this  whispering  grass  can  no  longer  kill 
anything  with  his  arrows." 

"No,  no,  it  is  not  whispering  grass,"  said  the 
third.  "  Listen,  there  is  a  west  wind  blowing 
through  it  and  I  can  hear  no  sound  of  whisper- 
ing." 

They  all  listened  —  not  a  sound  came. 

"  You  are  right.      Let  us  eat." 

They  ate  the  whispering  grass  then  rolled 
themselves  in  their  deerskins  and  fell  asleep. 
As  soon  as  they  were  asleep,  whispering  grass 
called  a  butterfly. 

"  Go  to  my  friends  and  tell  them  they  are  all 
safe.  They  can  come  from  their  homes  and 
wander  among  the  hills.  The  Indians  will  try 
to  shoot  them  with  their  arrows,  but  the  arrows 
of  these  hunters  can  do  no  harm.     Go  quickly." 

The  animals  came  from  their  home  gladly. 
But  they  had  not  gone  far  when  the  Indians 
woke  up  and  saw  them.  In  a  minute  they  drew 
their  bows,  and  away  shot  the  arrows.  Every 
arrov/  flew  swiftly  through  the  air,  but  soon  fell 
to  the  ground  at  the  animals'  feet. 

"  That  must  have  been  whispering  grass  that 


WHY   ANIMALS    FEAR    FIRE  147 

we  ate  last  night.  For,  see,  not  one  of  the  arrows 
has  hit  the  mark,"  said  the  first  hunter. 

'^  Why  did  the  grass  not  whisper  then  ?  "  asked 
the  second  hunter. 

"  Yes,  it  kept  silent  while  we  listened.  That 
is  the  way  it  deceived  us.  Now  we  have  lost  our 
power  for  hunting.  We  must  fight  the  whisper- 
ing grass.  Let  us  go  and  pull  it  up  by  the  roots 
so  that  it  can  never  deceive  any  hunter  again.'' 

''  Not  now.  It  is  best  to  wait  till  the  moon 
rises  high  in  the  sky,''  said  the  second. 

^'  Very  well,  —  but  when  we  leave,  this  green 
hill  will  be  bare  and  naked." 

The  butterfly  who  had  been  hovering  near 
the  Indians  heard  what  they  said.  It  flew  with 
all  speed  to  the  animals. 

'^The  hunters  have  planned  to  kill  whisper- 
ing grass  to-night.      Can  you  not  save  it  ? " 

"  We  must  save  it,"  said  the  deer.  ''  It  has 
saved  us.  Oh,  fox,  you  are  wise  and  great. 
Can  you  not  think  of  a  plan  to  save  whispering 
grass  ? " 

"  I  am  not  wise  enough  for  that,  but  I  know 
one  who  is.  On  the  Dark  Hills  lives  the  Fire 
Spirit.  He  is  wise  and  great.  He  tells  the 
deer  where  to  hide  in  the  hills  so  that  hunters 


148  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

cannot  kill  them.  He  tells  the  hungry  gray 
wolf  where  to  find  food,  and  in  summer  he  shows 
the  red  fox  how  to  get  away  from  his  enemies. 
He  will  surely  help  us.  Let  us  all  go  to 
him.^' 

The  animals  ran  as  fast  as  they  could  to  the 
Dark  Hills,  and  soon  reached  the  home  of  the 
Fire  Spirit.  They  found  him  in  the  center  of 
a  large,  low  cave  seated  before  a  bright  fire. 

**  You  have  come  to  me  for  help,"  he  said  ; 
"  what  is  wrong?'' 

"  Our  friend,  the  whispering  grass,  is  going  to 
be  uprooted  to-night  by  hunters.  Can  you  tell 
us  how  to  save  it?      It  has  saved  us.'' 

*^  My  friends,"  he  said,  *'  I  will  help  you. 
Do  you  see  these  things  which  look  like  dark 
stones  ?  The  Mighty  Spirit  put  them  there.  I 
will  place  some  of  these  in  my  fire,  and  they 
will  soon  be  ready  for  you." 

As  he  said  this,  the  Fire  Spirit  placed  a  number 
of  dark  stones  in  his  fire.  In  a  moment  they 
were  in  a  bright  red  glow.  "  Take  these  burn- 
ing coals  and  make  a  glowing  circle  on  the  hill- 
side around  the  whispering  grass.  They  will  not 
harm  the  grass,   and   they   will    not  harm    you. 


WHY    ANIMALS    FEAR    FIRE 


149 


They  found  him  in  the  center  of  a  large,  low  cave. 


150  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

But  after  to-night,  my  animals,   always  beware 
.  of  a  glowing  fire.     I  can  give  you  my  protection 
from   it  but  once  ;    I   can   never,   never  give  it 
again." 

The  animals  took  the  coals  and  ran  back  to 
the  hill.      The  hunters  were  still  asleep. 

**  We  will  save  you,  whispering  grass,"  they 
cried.  "  See  !  "  They  placed  the  coals  in  a 
circle  on  the  side  of  the  hill  and  hid  themselves 
behind  the  trees. 

Scarcely  had  they  done  this  when  the  hunters 
awoke.  They  saw  a  glowing  circle  of  fire 
on  the  hillside.  They  rubbed  their  eyes  and 
looked  again.  At  last  one  said,  "  My  brothers, 
this  whispering  grass  must  be  a  friend  of  the 
Mighty  Spirit,  and  he  will  let  no  harm  come  to 
it.  We  must  go  back  to  our  homes  at  once 
and  tell  the  others." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  another.  *'  This  is  a 
warning  which  the  Mighty  Spirit  has  sent  to 
us." 

So  saying,  they  fled  into  the  forest.  But  ever 
since  that  night  animals  have  been  afraid  of  a 
glowing  fire,  for  they  know  the  Fire  Spirit  can- 
not give  his  protection  another  time. 


A    MAD    TEA    PARTY 


Alice  joins  the  Party 

There  was  a  table  set  out  under  a  tree  in  front 
of  the  house,  and  the  March  Hare  and  the 
Hatter  were  having  tea  at  it ;  a  Dormouse  was 
sitting  between  them,  fast  asleep,  and  the  two 
were  using  it  as  a  cushion,  resting  their  elbows 
on  it,  and  talking  over  its  head.  '^  Very  un- 
comfortable for  the  Dormouse,"  thought  Alice; 
^'  only  as  it's  asleep   I  suppose  it  doesn't  mind." 

151 


152  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  table  was  a  large  one,  but  the  three  were 
all  crowded  together  at  one  corner  of  it.  '^  No 
room,  no  room  !  "  they  cried  out  when  they 
saw  Alice  coming.  "There's  plenty  of  room,*' 
said  Alice,  indignantly,  and  she  sat  down  in  a 
large  armchair  at  one  end  of  the  table. 

"  Have  some  wine,"  the  March  Hare  said  in 
an  encouraging  tone. 

Alice  looked  all  round  the  table,  but  there 
was  nothing  on  it  but  tea.  "  I  don't  see  any 
wine,"  she  remarked. 

"There  isn't  any,"  said  the  March  Hare. 

"  Then  it  wasn't  very  civil  of  you  to  offer  it," 
said  Alice,  angrily. 

"  It  wasn't  very  civil  of  you  to  sit  down  with- 
out being  invited,"  said  the  March  Hare. 

"  I  didn't  know  it  was  your  table,"  said 
Alice ;  "  it's  laid  for  a  great  many  more  than 
three." 

"Your  hair  wants  cutting,"  said  the  Hatter. 
He  had  been  looking  at  Alice  for  some  time 
with  great  curiosity,  and  this  was  his  first  speech. 

"  You  should  learn  not  to  make  personal  re- 
marks," Alice  said  with  some  severity  ;  "  it's  very 
rude." 

The  Hatter  opened  his  eyes  very  wide  on  hear- 


A    MAD    TEA    PARTY  153 

ing  this ;   but  all  he  said   was,  "  Why  is  a  raven 
like  a  writing  desk  ?  " 

'^  Come,  we  shall  have  some  fun  now ! " 
thought  Alice.  "  Fm  glad  they've  begun  asking 
riddles  —  I  believe  I  can  guess  that/'  she  added 
aloud. 

^*  Do  you  mean  that  you  think  you  can  find 
out  the  answer  to  it?"  said  the  March  Hare. 

''  Exactly  so,"  said  Alice. 

'*  Then  you  should  say  what  you  mean,"  the 
March  Hare  went  on. 

"I  do,"  Alice  hastily  replied;  "  at  least  —  at 
least,  I  mean  what  I  say — that's  the  same  thing, 
you  know." 

**  Not  the  same  thing  a  bit !  "  said  the  Hatter. 
"  Why,  you  might  just  as  well  say  that  ^  I  see 
what  I  eat '  is  the  same  thing  as  '  I  eat  what  I 
see '  !  " 

*'  You  might  just  as  well  say,"  added  the 
March  Hare,  "  that  '  I  like  what  I  get '  is  the 
same  thing  as  *  I  get  what  I  like '  !  " 

'*  You  might  just  as  well  say,"  added  the  Dor- 
mouse, who  seemed  to  be  talking  in  his  sleep, 
''that  'I  breathe  when  I  sleep'  is  the  same 
thing  as  '  I  sleep  when  I  breathe  '  !  " 

"It    is    the  same  thing  with   you,"  said    the 


154  DRAMATIC   STORIES 


Hatter,  taking  his  watch  out  of  his  pocket,  shak- 
ing it  every  now  and  then,  and  holding  it  to  his 
ear. 

The  Hatter  was  the  first  to  break  the 
silence. 

"  What  day  of  the  month  is  it  ?  "  he  said, 
turning  to  Alice. 

"  The  fourth,"  said  Alice. 

"  Two  days  wrong, ''-said_the  Hatter.  "  I  told 
you  butter  wouldn't  suit  the  works!  "  he  added, 
looking  angrily  at  the  March  Hare. 

''  It  was  the  best  butter,''  the  March  Hare 
said. 

*^  Yes,  but  some  crumbs  must  have  got  in  as 


A    MAD    TEA    PARTY  155 

well/'  the  Hatter  grumbled ;  "  you  shouldn't 
have  put  it  in  with  the  bread  knife." 

The  March  Hare  took  the  watch  and  looked 
at  it  gloomily ;  then  he  dipped  it  into  his  cup 
of  tea,  and  looked  at  it  again ;  but  he  could 
think  of  nothing  better  to  say  than  his  first  re- 
mark, ^^  It  was  the  best  butter,  you  know." 

Alice  had  been  looking  over  his  shoulder  with 
some  curiosity. 

**  What  a  funny  watch  !  It  tells  the  day  of 
the  month,  and  it  doesn^t  tell  what  o'clock  it 
is ! " 

''  Why  should  it  ? "  muttered  the  Hatter. 
"  Does  your  watch  tell  you  what  year  it  is  ? " 

*' Of  course  not,"  Alice  replied  very  readily; 
"  but  that's  because  it  stays  the  same  year  for 
such  a  long  time  together." 

"  Which  is  just  the  case  with  mine,"  said  the 
Hatter. 

**  I  don't  quite  understand  you,"  she  said. 

"  The  Dormouse  is  asleep  again,"  said  the  Hat- 
ter, and  he  poured  a  little  hot  tea  upon  its  nose. 

The  Dormouse  shook  its  head  impatiently, 
and  said  without  opening  its  eyes,  "  Of  course, 
of  course ;  just  what  I  was  going  to  remark 
myself." 


156 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


**  Have  you  guessed  the  riddle  yet  ? "  the 
Hatter  said,  turning  to  Alice  again. 

"  No,  I  give  it  up,"  Alice  replied  ;  ''  what's 
the  answer  ?" 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea,''  said  the  Hatter. 

"  Nor  I,"  said  the  March  Hare. 

Alice  sighed  wearily.  "  I  think  you  might 
do  something  better  with  the  time,''  she  said, 
*'  than  wasting  it  in  asking  riddles  that  have  no 
answers." 

^*  If  you  knew  Time  as  well  as  I  do,"  said 
the  Hatter,  *^  you  wouldn't  talk  about  wasting 
it.      It's  him." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Alice. 

^*  Of  course  you  don't !  "  the  Hatter  said,  toss- 
ing his  head  contemptuously.  "  I  dare  say  you 
never  even  spoke  to  Time !  " 

"  Perhaps  not,"  Alice  cautiously  replied;  "  but 


A    MAD    TEA   PARTY  157 

I    know    I    have    to    beat    time    when    I    learn 


music/' 


"  Ah  !  that  accounts  for  it,"  said  the  Hatter. 
"  He  won't  stand  beating.  Now  if  you  only 
keep  on  good  terms  with  him,  he'd  do  almost 
anything  you  liked  with  the  clock.  For  in- 
stance, suppose  it  were  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  just  time  to  begin  lessons ;  you'd  only 
have  to  whisper  a  hint  to  Time,  and  round  goes 
the  clock  in  a  twinkling  !  Half  past  one,  time 
for  dinner." 

("  I  only  wish  it  was,"  the  March  Hare  said 
to  itself  in  a  whisper.) 

"  That  would  be  grand,  certainly,"  said  Alice, 
thoughtfully  ;  "  but  then  —  I  shouldn't  be  hungry 
for  it,  you  know." 

'^Not  at  first,  perhaps,"  said  the  Hatter; 
'*  but  you  could  keep  it  to  half  past  one  as  long 
as  you  liked." 

*^  Is  that  the  way  you  manage  ? "  Alice 
asked. 

The  Hatter  shook  his  head  mournfully. 

''  Not  I,"  he  replied.  "  We  quarreled  last 
March  — just  before  he  went  mad,  you 
know  — "  (pointing  with  his  teaspoon  at  the 
March  Hare)   *^  —  it  was  at  the  great  concert 


158  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

given   by   the   Queen   of  Hearts,  and   I  had  to 
sing:  — 

" '  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  hat ! 
How  I  wonder  what  youVe  at ! ' 

You  know  the  song,  perhaps  ? '' 

"  Pve  heard  something  like  it,"  said  Alice. 

''  It  goes  on,  you  know,"  the  Hatter  con- 
tinued, ^'  in  this  way  :  — 

"  *  Up  above  the  world  you  fly 
Like  a  tea-tray  in  the  sky. 
Twinkle,  twinkle  — '  " 

Here  the  Dormouse  shook  itself,  and  began 
singing  in  its  sleep,  ''  Twinkle,  twinkle,  twinkle, 
twinkle,"  and  went  on  so  long  that  they  had  to 
pinch  it  to  make  it  stop. 

"  Well,  I'd  hardly  finished  the  first  verse," 
said  the  Hatter,  "when  the  Queen  bawled  out, 
*  He's  murdering  the  time !  Off  with  his 
head ! ' " 

"  How  dreadfully  savage !  "  exclaimed  Alice. 

''  And  ever  since  that,"  the  Hatter  went  on  in 
a  mournful  tone,  "  he  won't  do  a  thing  I  ask. 
It's  always  six  o'clock  now." 

"  Is  that  the  reason  so  many  tea  things  are  put 
out  here  ?  "  she  asked. 


A    MAD    TEA    PARTY  159 

*'  Yes,  that's  it,"  said  the  Hatter  with  a  sigh  ; 
"  it's  always  tea  time  and  we've  no  time  to  wash 
the  things  between  whiles." 

*^  Then  you  keep  moving  round,  I  suppose  ?  " 
said  Alice. 

*'  Exactly  so,"  said  the  Hatter  ;  **  as  the  things 
get  used  up." 

^*  But  when  you  come  to  the  beginning 
again?"  Alice  ventured  to  ask. 

'*  Suppose  we  change  the  subject,"  the  March 
Hare  interrupted,  yawning.  "  I'm  getting  tired 
of  this.      I  vote  the  young  lady  tells  us  a  story." 

''  I'm  afraid  I  don't  know  one,"  said  Alice, 
rather  alarmed  at  the  proposal. 

^'  Then  the  Dormouse  shall !  "  they  both  cried. 
**  Wake  up,  Dormouse  !  "  And  they  pinched 
it  on  both  sides  at  once. 

The  Dormouse  slowly  opened  his  eyes.  "  I 
wasn't  asleep,"  he  said  in  a  hoarse,  feeble  voice. 
"  I  heard  every  word  you  fellows  were  saying.'^ 

''  Tell  us  a  story  !  "  said  the  March  Hare. 

"  Yes,  please  do  !  "  pleaded  Alice. 

"  And  be  quick  about  it,"  said  the  Hatter, 
"  or  you'll  be  asleep  again  before  it's  done." 


i6o  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  Story 

*'  Once  upon  a  time  there  were  three  little 
sisters/'  the  Dormouse  began  in  a  great  hurry ; 
"  and  their  names  were  Elsie,  Lacie,  and  Tillie ; 
and  they  lived  at  the  bottom  of  a  well  —  " 

"  What  did  they  live  on  ? "  said  Alice,  who 
always  took  a  great  interest  in  questions  of  eat- 
ing and  drinking. 

''  They  lived  on  treacle,''  said  the  Dormouse. 

'^  They  couldn't  have  done  that,"  Alice  gently 
remarked  ;   "  they'd  have  been  ill." 

**  So  they  were,"  said  the  Dormouse;  "very 
ill." 

Alice  helped  herself  to  some  tea  and  bread 
and  butter,  and  then  turned  to  the  Dormouse, 
and  repeated  her  question. 

'*  Why  did  they  live  at  the  bottom  of  a  well  ?  " 

The  Dormouse  again  took  a  minute  or  two 
to  think  about  it,  and  then  said,  "  It  was  a 
treacle  well." 

''  There's  no  such  thing  !  "  Alice  was  begin- 
ning very  angrily,  but  the  Hatter  and  the  March 
Hare  went  *'  Sh  !  sh !  "  and  the  Dormouse 
sulkily  remarked,  *^  If  you  can't  be  civil,  you'd 
better  finish  the  story  for  yourself." 


A    MAD    TEA    PARTY  i6i 

"  No,  please  go  on  !  ''  Alice  said  very  humbly ; 
"  I  won't  interrupt  you  again.  I  dare  say  there 
may  be  one." 

"  One,  indeed  !  "  said  the  Dormouse,  indig- 
nantly. ''And  so  these  three  little  sisters  — 
they  were  learning  to  draw,  you  know  — '' 

''  What  did  they  draw  ?  "  said  AHce. 

"  Treacle,"  said  the  Dormouse. 

"  But  I  don't  understand.  Where  did  they 
draw  the  treacle  from  ? "  asked  Alice. 

'*  You  can  draw  water  out  of  a  water  well," 
said  the  Hatter ;  "  so  I  should  think  you  could 
draw  treacle  out  of  a  treacle  well,  —  eh,  stupid  ?" 

"  But  they  were  in  the  well,"  Alice  said  to 
the  Dormouse. 

"  Of  course  they  were,"  said  the  Dormouse, 
''  well  in." 

This  answer  confused  poor  Alice. 

"  They  were  learning  to  draw,"  the  Dor- 
mouse went  on,  yawning  and  rubbing  its  eyes, 
for  it  was  getting  very  sleepy ;  '^  and  they  drew 
all  manner  of  things — everything  that  begins 
with  an  M." 

"  Why  with  an  M  ? "  said  Alice. 

''Why  not?"  said  the  March  Hare. 

Alice  was  silent. 

DRAMATIC    STORIES I  I 


l62 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


The  Dormouse  had  closed  its  eyes,  and  was 
going  off  into  a  dose,  but,  on  being  pinched 
by  the  Hatter,  it  woke  up  again  with  a  Httle 
shriek,  and  went  on:  " — that  begins  with  an 
M,  such  as  muchness — you  know  you  say 
things  are  '  much  of  a  muchness  '  —  did  you  ever 
see  such  a  thing  as  a  drawing  of  a  muchness  ? " 

'*  Really,  now  you  ask  me,"  said  Alice,  very 
much  confused,  ^'  I  don't  think  —  '' 

*^  Then  you  shouldn't  talk,"  said  the  Hatter. 

This  piece  of  rudeness  was  more  than  Alice 
could  bear ;  she  got  up  in  great  disgust,  and 
walked  off.      The  Dormouse  fell  asleep  instantly 

**  At  any  rate,  I'll  never  go  there  again  !  "  said 
Alice.  "  It's  the  stupidest  tea  party  I  ever  was 
at  in  all  my  life." 


THE    BABY    SEED'S    SONG 

Under  the  Soil 

"  Little  brown  seed,  O  little  brown  brother. 
Are  you  awake  in  the  dark  ? 
Here  we  lie  cozily,  close  to  each  other. 
Wake  !      There's  the  song  of  the  lark." 

The  Lark 

"  Waken,  brown  seeds,  awaken  and  dress  you. 
Put  on  your  green  coats  and  gay. 
Blue  sky  will  shine  on  you,  sunshine  caress  you. 
Waken !       'Tis  morning,  'tis  May  !  " 

The  Choice 

"  Little  brown  seed,  O  little  brown  brother. 

What  kind  of  a  flower  will  you  be  ? 

I'll  be  a  poppy  all  white  like  my  mother. 

Do  be  a  poppy  like  me  ! 

What  ?      You,   a   sunflower  ?       O    how    I   shall 

miss  you 
When  you're  grown  golden  and  high. 
But  I  shall  send  all  the  bees  up  to  kiss  you, 
Little  brown  brother,  good-by." 

163 


THE    LARK    AND    THE    ROOK 


The  Lark 

"  Good  night,  Sir  Rook,"  said  a  little  lark, 

**  The  daylight  fades,  it  will  soon  be  dark, 

I've  bathed  my  wings  in  the  sun's  last  ray, 

Pve  sung  my  hymn  to  the  parting  day  ; 

So  now  I  haste  to  my  quiet  nook 

In  yon  dewy  meadow, — good  night.  Sir  Rook!" 

Sir  Rook 

"  Good  night,  poor  Lark,"  said  his  titled  friend 
With  a  haughty  toss  and  a  distant  bend, 
*'  I  also  go  to  my  rest  profound. 
But  not  to  sleep  on  the  cold,  damp  ground; 
The  fittest  place  for  a  bird  like  me 
Is  the  topmost  branch  of  yon  tall  pine  tree. 

1 64 


THE    LARK    AND    THE    ROOK  165 

"  I  opened  my  eyes  at  peep  of  day 
And  saw  you  taking  your  upward  way, 
Dreaming  your  fond  romantic  dreams, 
An  ugly  speck  in  the  sun's  bright  beams, 
Soaring  too  high  to  be  seen  or  heard. 
And  I  said  to  myself,  '  What  a  foolish  bird/ 

"  I  trod  the  park  with  a  princely  air, 
I  filled  my  crop  with  the  richest  fare, 
I  cawed  all  day  'mid  a  lordly  crew 
And  I  made  more  noise  in  the  world  than  you ! 
The  sun  shone  forth  on  my  ebon  wing, 
I    looked     and    wondered  —  good    night,    poor 
thing!" 

The  Lark 

"  Good  night,  once  more,"  said  the  lark's  sweet 

voice, 
"  I  see  no  cause  to  repent  my  choice. 
You  build  your  nest  in  the  lofty  pine. 
But  is  your  slumber  more  sweet  than  mine  ? 
You  make  more  noise  in  the  world  than  I 
But  whose  is  the  sweeter  melody  ? " 


PANDORA 

The  Little  Playmate 

Long  ago  there  lived  a  little  boy  who  had 
neither  brothers  nor  sisters.  He  often  longed 
for  some  one  to  play  with. 

"  I  am  so  lonely,"  he  said  one  day,  as  he  sat 
by  the  cottage  door.  "  How  I  wish  I  had  a 
playmate  !  "  Just  then  he  looked  up  and  saw  a 
tall  stranger  and  a  lovely  little  girl  standing 
before  him.  Epimetheus  knew  by  the  wings 
on  the  stranger's  shoes  and  cap  that  it  was 
Mercury.  "  I  have  brought  you  a  playmate, 
Epimetheus.      Come,  Pandora.'' 

The  little  girl,  who  had  been  hanging  back, 
came  forward  and  took  Epimetheus's  hand. 

"  Here  is  your  companion.  But  don't  forget 
about  the  box,  Epimetheus,"  and  with  that 
Mercury  was  gone. 

"  Come,  dear  Pandora,"  said  Epimetheus. 
"  Let  us  go  into  the  garden  and  have  a  merry 
time  with  the  children." 

Off  they  ran  together  to  join  in  the  play. 

i66 


PANDORA 


167 


P 


The  Strange  Box 

The  first  thing  that  Pandora  saw  when  they 
came  back  to  the  cottage  was  a  great  box. 
"  What  have  you  in  that  box,  Epimetheus  ? '' 
she  asked. 

''  My  dear  Httle  Pandora,  that  is  a  secret. 
The  box  was  left  here  to  be  kept  safely.  I 
do  not  know  myself  what  is  in  it.'' 

"  But  where  did  it  come  from  ? "'  asked 
Pandora. 

"  That  is  a  secret,  too,"  said  Epimetheus. 

"  How  provoking,''  said  Pandora,  "  at  least 
you  can  tell  me  how  it  came  here." 

"  It  was  left  at  the  door,"  said  Epimetheus, 
*^  by  a  stranger  who  was  dressed  in  an  odd  kind 
of  cloak.  He  had  wings  on  his  shoes  and  wings 
on  his  cap." 


i68  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  I  know  him,"  said  Pandora.  "  He  was 
Mercury,  and  he  brought  me  here  as  well  as 
the  box.     No  doubt  he  meant  it  for  me.'' 

''  Perhaps  so,"  said  Epimetheus. 

"  If  I  could  but  just  peep  into  the  box  !  " 

"  Oh,  come.  Pandora  !  Don't  think  any  more 
about  that  box.  Let  us  run  out  and  have  a 
merry  time  with  our  playmates." 

''  I  am  tired  of  merry  times,  I'll  stay  here." 

'*  Just  as  you  like.  I  shall  go  into  the  garden 
and  gather  figs  and  grapes." 

Epimetheus  was  gone.  Pandora  stood  looking 
at  the  box.  The  more  she  thought  about  it  the 
more  she  wished  to  open  it. 

"  I  wonder  what  is  in  it,"  she  said,  looking  at 
the  golden  cord  which  held  the  lid  fast. 

"  Just  a  peep  won't  matter."  She  took  the 
golden  cord  up  in  her  fingers.  ''  I  think  I  can 
untie  it,  just  a  little.  I'll  try."  As  she  leaned 
over  she  was  sure  she  heard  a  buzzing  sound 
inside.  ''  What  can  it  be  r "  said  Pandora. 
"  Is  there  something  alive  in  the  box  ?  Well, 
yes,  I  will  take  just  one  peep — only  one  peep, 
and  the  lid  shall  be  closed  down  as  safely  as 
ever.  There  can  be  no  harm  in  one  little 
peep."      Just    then    Pandora    gave    the   knot    a 


PANDORA 


169 


kind   of  twist :    the  golden    cord    untwined   of 
itself  and  left  the  box  unfastened. 

Pandora  put  her  hand  to  the  lid,  and  was  just  on 
_  .  the  point  of  open- 

'  -  ' ->V^<5:^-' /*       •  ing  the  box  when 

Epimetheus     came 
into  the  room. 

''  What  are  you 
doing,  Pandora  ? " 
"  Oh,  Epime- 
theus, I  wanted  so 
much  to  see  what 
was  in  this  box  and 
now    that    I    have 


lyo  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

untied  the  cord  I  can't  lift  the  lid.  Do  help 
me. 

**  Naughty  Pandora,"  said  Epimetheus,  coming 
to  the  box.  **  But  if  you  must  see  inside,  we'll 
lift  the  lid  since  the  cord  is  already  untied." 

They  lifted  the  lid.  In  a  moment  it  seemed 
as  if  a  swarm  of  winged  creatures  brushed  past 
Pandora,  taking  flight  out  of  the  box. 

**  Ah,  I  am  stung,"  cried  Epimetheus. 
"  Why  have  you  opened  this  wicked  box  ? " 

"  And  I,  too,"  cried  Pandora,  as  she  dropped 
the  lid,  ^^  how  it  hurts.  Can't  we  get  them 
back?  Why  was  I  so  foolish  as  to  let  them 
out !  Can't  we  get  them  back  ? "  The  chil- 
dren began  to  cry. 

Hope 

Suddenly  there  was  a  gentle  little  tap  on  the 
inside  of  the  lid. 

"  What  can  that  be  ? "  cried  Pandora,  lifting 
her  head.  The  tap  came  again.  *^  Who  are 
you  ? "  asked  Pandora.  "  Who  are  you  inside 
of  this  naughty  box  ?  " 

"  Only  lift  the  lid  and  you  shall  see." 

"  No,     no,"    said     Pandora.      ''  I    have    had 


PANDORA 


171 


enough  of  lifting  the  lid.  You  are  inside  of 
the  box  and  there  you  shall  stay." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  little  voice.  "  You  had  much 
better  let  me  out.  I  am  not  like  those  naughty 
creatures  that  have  stings  in  their  tails.  Come, 
Pandora,  let  me  out." 

**  Epimetheus,  I  think  I  will  open  the  box 
again." 

**  The  lid  is  heavy,  Pandora,  I  will  help  you." 


172  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  children  opened  the  box  and  out  flew  a 
beautiful  winged  creature.  ^^  Who  are  you, 
beautiful  creature  ? "  asked  Pandora  and  Epime- 
theus  in  one  voice. 

"  I  am  called  Hope,"  said  the  little  figure. 
"  I  will  take  away  your  pain."  She  touched 
the  children  and  made  them  well.  *^  And  now 
I  must  fly  away  and  help  other  people  who 
have  been  hurt  and  are  in  trouble.  I  shall 
come  back,  though,  whenever  you  need  me  — 
I  promise  never  to  desert  you." 


THE    BROWNIES 


The  Boys  learn  about  the  Brownies 


''  Children  are  a  burden/'  said  the  tailor  as 
he  sat  on  his  bench. 

''  Children  are  a  blessing,"  said  his  mother 
who  sat  in  an  armchair  knitting  rugs. 

"  What  have  my  two  boys  ever  done  for  me  ? 
Look  at  Tommy.  He  does  nothing  but  play. 
I  have  almost  to  pull  him  out  of  bed  every 
morning.  And  there's  Johnny ;  he  might  be 
different,  but  his  brother  leads  him  by  the 
nose.'' 

At  this  moment  the  two  boys  came  in. 

"Is  there  any  supper,  father?"  asked  Tommy. 

"  No,  there  is  not,  unless  you  know  how  to 
get  it,"  said  the  tailor.      He  picked  up  his  pipe 


173 


174  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

lying  on  the  bench  beside  him  and  left  the 
room. 

"  Is  there  really  nothing  to  eat,  Granny  ? " 
asked  Tommy. 

"  No,  my  child,  only  some  bread  for  break- 
fast to-morrow." 

"Oh,  Granny,  we  are  so  hungry,"  said 
Johnny. 

"What  can  I  do  for  my  poor  children?"  said 
the  good  woman. 

"  Tell  us  a  story,  please,  so  we  can  forget  we 
are  hungry.  We  shall  not  think  of  the  bread 
a  bit  if  you  tell  us  about  the  fairies,"  said 
Johnny. 

"  Tell  us  about  the  brownie  that  lived  in 
your  grandfather's  house.  What  was  he  like  ?  " 
asked  Tommy. 

"Like  a  little  man,"  said  grandmother.  "He 
came  early  in  the  morning  and  lighted  the  fire 
and  swept  the  room,  and  did  all  sorts  of  house- 
work. He  never  would  be  seen  and  was  off 
before  they  could  catch  him.  But  they  could 
hear  him  playing  about  the  house  sometimes." 

"  Did  they  give  him  any  wages.  Granny  ? " 

"  No,  my  dear,  they  always  set  a  little  pan 
of  clear  water  for  him  over  night,  and  now  and 


THE    BROWNIES  175 

then  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk  or  cream.  He 
liked  that." 

''  Oh,  Granny,  where  did  he  go  ? " 

''  The  old  owl  in  the  woods  knows.  I  do 
not.  People  go  to  see  the  owl  at  moonrise  and 
ask  him  what  they  want  to  know." 

"  How  fine  if  a  brownie  would  come  and 
live  with  us  !  "  cried  both  Tommy  and  Johnny. 

^'  He'd  tidy  the  room,"  said  Johnny. 

"  He'd  pick  up  the  chips,"  said  Tommy. 

**He'd  sort  your  scraps,  Granny,"  said  Johnny. 

"  He'd  do  everything,"  said  Tommy. 

^^  Will  you  let  us  set  out  a  pan  of  water  for 
the  brownies  ? "  asked  Johnny. 

^'  You  may  set  out  what  you  like,  but  you 
must  go  to  bed  now,"  said  Granny. 

The  boys  brought  out  a  pan  of  water.  Then 
they  climbed  the  ladder  to  their  little  bedroom 
over  the  kitchen. 

Johnny  was  soon  asleep,  but  Tommy  lay 
awake,  thinking  about  the  brownies. 

"There's  an  owl  that  lives  in  the  grove," 
he  said  to  himself.  "  It  might  be  the  old  owl 
herself,  and  she  knows  where  the  brownie  lives. 
Granny  says.  When  the  moon  rises  I'll  go  and 
find  her  myself." 


176 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


Tommy  visits  the  Owl 

''  The  moon  has  risen/'  said  Tommy,  "  and 
it's  time  for  me  to  go." 

He  crept  softly  out  into  the  still  night. 

"Hoot!   hoot! ''  cried  a  voice  from  the  grove. 

"It's  the  old  owl,  I  do  believe,"  said  Tommy. 
He  ran  to  a  big  tree  and  looked  up.  There  sat 
the  owl. 

"  Come  up,  come  up,"  she  said. 

Tommy  waited. 

"  Come  up  here,  come  up  here  !  " 

Tommy  climbed  up  the  tree  and  sat  face  to 


face  with  the  owl.      "Now what  do  you  want.r*  ' 
she  said. 

"  Please,"   said    Tommy,   "  can    you    tell    me 


THE    BROWNIES  177 

where  to  tind  the  brownies  and  how  to  get  one 
to  come  and  Hve  with  us  ? " 

"  Hoo-o-hoo  !  hoo-o-hoo  !  '*  said  the  owl. 
"  That's  it,  is  it  ?      I  know  of  two  brownies." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Tommy,  ''  where  do  they  Hve?'* 

"  In  your  own  house,"  said  the  owl. 

"  In  our  house  ?"  asked  Tommy.  "Where? 
Why  do  they  do  nothing  ? " 

"  They  are  idle,  they  are  idle,"  said  the  owl, 
and  she  gave  herself  a  shake. 

"Then  we  don't  want  them,"  said  Tommy. 
"  What  is  the  use  of  having  brownies  in  the 
house  if  they  do  nothing  to  help  us  ? " 

"  Perhaps  they  don't  know  how,  as  no  one 
has  told  them,"  said  the  owl. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  where  to  find 
them,"  said  Tommy.  "  I  could  tell  them  what 
to  do." 

"  Could  you  ?  "  said  the  owl.  "  Hoo-o-hoo  ! 
hoo-o-hoo  !  "  And  Tommy  could  not  tell 
whether  the  owl  was  hooting  or  laughing. 

"  Of  course  I  could,"  said  Tommy.  "  They 
might  get  up  early  in  the  morning  and  sweep 
the  floor.  They  might  light  the  fire,  and  they 
might  spread  the  table,  before  my  father  comes 
downstairs.      Oh,  there's  lots  to  do." 

DRAMATIC    STORIES I  2 


178  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  So  there  is/'  said  the  owl.  "  Well,  I  can 
tell  you  where  to  find  one  of  the  brownies.  He 
can  tell  you  where  to  find  his  brother.  Now 
listen.  Go  to  the  north  side  of  the  pond  where 
the  moon  is  shining  on  the  water.  Turn  your- 
self around  three  times  and  say  :  — 

" '  Twist  me  and  turn  me  and  show  me  the  elf, 
I  looked  in  the  water  and  saw ' 

Then  look  in  the  water  and  think  of  a  word 
which  rimes  with  elf  J' 

"  Well,  rU  do  as  you  say,"  said  Tommy. 
"  Good-by,  and  thank  you.  Old  Owl." 

Tommy  knew  the  place  well,  for  there  was 
a  fine  echo  there.  He  ran  to  the  pond  and 
turned  himself  around  three  times,  as  the  old 
owl  had  told  him  to  do,  and  said  :  — 

"  Twist  me  and  turn  me  and  show  me  the  elf, 
I  looked  in  the  water  and  saw " 

Tommy  looked  in  and  saw  himself.  *'  Why, 
there  is  no  one  but  myself,  I  can't  think  of  the 
right  word,  I  must  have  done  it  wrong." 

"  Wrong,"  said  the  echo. 

'*  Hold  your  tongue,"  cried  Tommy.  "  Mat- 
ters are  bad  enough  of  themselves.  Belf,  Celf, 
Delf,  Felf,   Gelf,  Jelf  —  there   can't  be  a  word 


THE    BROWNIES 


179 


to  fit  it.  And  then  to  look  for  a  brownie  and 
see  nothing  but  myself.'' 

"  Myself,"  said  the  echo. 

^^  Will  you  be  quiet?"  said  Tommy.  "If 
you  would  tell  me  the  word,  it  would  help. 
But  you  roar  myself  2X  me,  and  it  neither  rimes 
nor  runs  —  it  does  rime,  though — and  it  runs, 
too.  What  can  it  mean  ?  The  old  owl  knows. 
rU  go  back  and  ask  her." 

"  Ask  her,"  said  the  echo. 

"  Didn't  I  say  I  should,"  said  Tommy.  "  I 
wonder  I  didn't  think  of  it  long  ago." 

"  Go,"  said  the  echo. 

'*  Yes,  go  to  sleep,"  said  Tommy  to  the  echo. 
"  I  am  going  back  to  the  owl." 


i8o  DRAiMATIC    STORIES 


The  Grove 


''  O-hoo  !  "  said  the  owl,  ''  did  you  find  out 
the  word  ? " 

"  No/'  said  Tommy.  "  I  could  find  no  word 
that  would  rime  with  elf  but  my  self ^ 

"Well,  that's  the  word,"  said  the  owl. 
"  Now,  do  you  know  where  your  brother  is  ? " 
•  "  At  home  in  bed,"  said  Tommy. 

*^  Then  all  your  questions  are  answered.  Good 
night,"  and  the  owl  began  to  shake  her  feathers. 

"  Don't  go  yet.  I  do  not  understand  you.  I 
am  not  a  brownie,  am  I  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  are,  and  a  very  idle  one,  too. 
All  children  are  brownies." 

"  But  are  there  really  no  brownies,  but  chil- 
dren }  "  asked  Tommy. 

"  No,  there  are  not.  Now,  listen  to  me, 
Tommy.  The  brownies  are  little  things. 
When  they  are  idle  they  are  called  boggarts, 
and  they  are  a  burden  to  the  house  they  live  in. 
When  they  are  useful  they  are  brownies,  and 
are  a  blessing  to  every  one." 

*'  ril  be  a  brownie,"  said  Tommy.  "  I 
won't  be  a  boggart.  Now  I'll  go  home  and 
tell  Johnny."      And  away  he  went. 


ALADDIN    AND    THE    WONDERFUL 
LAMP 


The  Magician  meets  Aladdin 

There  was  once  an  African  magician  who 
came  to  Persia  to  find  a  wonderful  lamp.  This 
lamp  was  hidden  in  a  cave  beneath  the  earth. 
The  magician  knew  that  a  dangerous  passage 
led  to  the  cave,  and  he  did  not  wish  to  risk  his 
life  in  order  to  get  the  lamp.  So  he  made 
friends  with  a  Persian  boy,  whom  he  met  one 
day  on  the  street.  The  boy's  name  was 
Aladdin. 

"  Are  you  not  the  son  of  Mustapha,  the 
tailor?"  he  asked  Aladdin. 


1 82  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

''  I  am,  sir/'  said  Aladdin,  ''  but  my  father 
died  long  ago." 

**  Alas,  alas  !  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that.  I  am 
your  uncle,  your  father's  brother.  Go  to  your 
mother  and  tell  her  I  am  coming  to  see  her.'' 

Aladdin  ran  home  in  great  haste. 

ALADDIN'S  Home 

"  Mother,  mother,"  called  Aladdin,  1  met  a 
stranger  in  the  street,  who  says  he  is  my  uncle. 
He  is  coming  to  see  you." 

"  Indeed,  child,  your  father  had  a  brother, 
but  I  always  thought  he  was  dead." 

**  Here  he  comes,  now,  mother,"  said  Alad- 
din, looking  out  the  window  ;  "  and  he  is 
laden  with  wine  and  fruit."  Aladdin  ran  to 
open  the  door  for  the  stranger. 
/]/V^<My  brother's  house  at  last,"  said  the  magi- 
cian. "  Do  not  be  surprised  at  not  seeing  me 
before.  I  have  been  out  of  the  country  for  forty 
years.  But  come,  tell  me  something  about  this 
boy,  my  nephew." 

"  Ah,  Aladdin,  I  fear,  is  an  idle  fellow.  He 
will  learn  no  trade.  In  spite  of  my  tears,  he 
will  not  mend  his  ways." 


ALADDIN  AND  THE  WONDERFUL  LAMP     183 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  this;  however,  we  must 
see  what  can  be  done.  Aladdin,  what  do  you 
say  to  having  a  shop  ?  I  will  furnish  one  for 
you  with  fine  linens  and  silks." 

Aladdin  never  liked  work,  but  he  seemed 
pleased  with  this  plan. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  sir,"  said  Aladdin. 

^'  Very  well.  To-morrow  I  will  buy  you  a 
new  suit  of  clothes  and  then  we  will  open  the 
shop.      And  now,  good-by." 

The  Cave 

The    next   morning    the   magician    came   for 
Aladdin. 
^Z     ''  We    will    spend    the    day   in    the    country, 
Aladdin,  and  to-morrow  we  will  buy  the  shop." 

On  and  on  they  walked  till  they  came  to  a 
valley  between  the  mountains.  They  stopped 
before  a  square,  flat  stone  which  marked  the 
opening  to  a  passage  down  under  the  ground. 

''  Aladdin,  we  will  go  no  farther,"  said  the 
magician.  "  I  will  show  you  something  won- 
derful. Gather  up  all  the  loose  sticks  you  see, 
and  I  will  kindle  a  fire." 

There  were  so   many  sticks  lying  about  that 


1 84 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


Aladdin     soon     had     enough.      The     magician 
Hghted    the    fire.     As    it    hlazed    up,   he    threw 

on  it  a  powder  say- 
ing, — 

Hocus !   pocus ! 
Hocus  !  pocus  ! 

''  The  earth 
trembles.  Fear 
nothing,  Aladdin, 
but  obey  me. 
Beneath  this  square 
flat  stone  lies  a  treas- 
ure.     It    is    to    be 


yours,  but  in  order  to  get  it  you  must  do 
exactly  as  I  tell  you.  Take  hold  of  this  ring 
and  lift  up  that  stone." 

'*  I  am   not  strong  enough   to  lift  that  stone, 
uncle,"  said  Aladdin. 


ALADDIN  AND  THE  WONDERFUL  LAMP     185 

*^  It  will  come  quite  easily,"  said  the  magi- 
cian. To  Aladdin's  surprise  he  raised  the  stone 
with  little  effort.  "  You  must  go  down  into 
this  cave,"  said  the  magician.  ''  At  the  foot  of 
these  stairs  you  will  find  an  open  door  leading 
into  three  halls.  Pass  through  these  halls,  but 
do  not  so  much  as  touch  anything  or  you  will  die 
instantly.  Walk  on,  until  you  come  to  a  garden. 
Cross  the  garden  to  a  terrace  where  you  will  3ee 
a  niche  in  which  is  a  lighted  lamp.  Blow  out  the 
light  and  put  the  lamp  into  your  pocket.  Here, 
take  this  ring,  and  good  fortune  go  with  you." 

Down  went  Aladdin  into  the  passage. 

"  Make  haste,  make  haste,"  called  the  magi- 
cian. ''  Touch  nothing  as  you  go.  (it's  a  won- 
derful lamp,"  he  said  to  himself.  ''It  will  make 
me  the  most  powerful  man  in  all  the  world.  I 
will  get  it  in  my  own  hand,  and  then  I  will  put 
the  boy  out  of  the  way.  .  .  .  Ah,  here  you  are 
back !  Make  haste,  give  me  the  lamp  and  then 
I  will  help  you  out." 

''No,"  said  Aladdin,  "help  me  out  first,  and 
then  I  will  give  you  the  lamp." 

"Give  me  the  lamp,  I  say,"  said  the  magician. 

"  I  will  not  give  it  to  you  till  I  get  out  of  the 
cave." 


i86  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  Wretch  !  ''  said  the  magician,  who  was  now 
very  angry.  "  You  shall  be  punished  for  this. 
You  shall  never  Ipave  that  cave. 

"  Hocus  !  pocus  ! 
Hocus  !  pocus  !  " 

And  with  that  the  stone  returned  to  its  place 
and  Aladdin  was  left  in  the  cave. 

For  two  days  Aladdin  wandered  about  the 
cav^  without  finding  anything  to  eat  or  drink. 
"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  never  see  the  light  again/^ 
he  said.  He  clapped  his  hands  together.  As  he 
did  so  he  rubbed  the  ring  which  the  magician 
had  put  upon  his  finger.  To  his  surprise  a  genie 
rose  up  and  stood  before  him. 

"  I  am  the  slave  of  the  ring^  I  am  ready  to 
obey  you.      What  do  you  wish  me  to  do  ? " 

"Whoever  you  are,"  said  Aladdin,  "take  me 
from  this  place  if  you  can." 

Aladdin  had  scarcely  said  these  words  before 
he  found  himself  outside  the  cave  just  where  the 
magician  had  stood. 

The  Wonderful  Lamp 

As  soon  as  his  eyes  could  bear  the  light 
Aladdin  went  home  and  told  his  mother  all  that 
had  happened. 


ALADDIN  AND  THE  WONDERFUL  LAIVIP     187 

"Alas,  mother,  I  found  myself  in  a  dark  cave. 
I  could  not  get  out.  Then  I  clasped  my  hands 
in  prayer  and  as  I  did  so  I  rubbed  this  ring 
which  the  stranger  gave  me.  A  frightful  genie 
stood  before  me  in  a  moment  and  asked  me 
what  I  wanted.  '  Take  me  from  this  place,' 
I  said.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  I  found 
myself  outside  of  the  cave.  And  now,  mother, 
come  and  look  at  the  lamp  and  the  fruits  that 
I  gathered  in  the  garden." 

"  They  are  pretty  things,  Aladdin." 

"  I  am  very  hungry,  mother,  I  should  like 
something  to  eat." 

"  Alas,  my  child,"  said  his  mother,  "  I  have 
not  a  bite  of  bread  for  you  to  eat,  but  I  have  a 
little  cotton  which  I  have  spun.  Wait  here 
and  I  will  go  and  sell  it  and  buy  some  food." 
(/  "  Keep  your  cotton,  mother,"  said  Aladdin. 
"  I  will  go  out  and  sell  this  lamp  which  I  found 
in  the  cave." 

''Very  well,  but  let  me  clean  it  first  —  it  is 
very  dirty,"  she  said,  giving  the  lamp  a  hard  rub. 

No  sooner  had  she  done  this  than  a  frightful 
genie  appeared  before  her  and  said  in  a  voice 
like  thunder :  ''  I  am  the  slave  of  the  lamp.  I 
am  ready  to  obey  you." 


1 88  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

''  Oh,  oh,  oh  !  "   cried  his  mother. 
©^**^,  magic  lamp,  a  wonderful  lamp!"   called 
out  Aladdin  as Jie  patched  it  from  his__mQther's 
hand. 

"  We  are  hungry,  bring  us  some  food.'' 

The  genie  disappeared,  but  came  back  in  a 
moment  with  everything  ready  for  a  feast. 

**  What  does  this  mean,  Aladdin  ? '' 

"  Don't  be  frightened,  mother.  Come  with 
me  and  eat.      This  food  will  strengthen  you." 

So  they  sat  down  to  the  feast  and  Aladdin 
told  his  mother  about  the  wonderful  lamp. 

^*  It's  the  one  the  stranger  wished  to  get, 
mother.  It  was  in  the  cave,  but  he  was  afraid 
to  go  after  it  himself,  so  he  sent  me.  I  would 
not  give  it  to  him  before  I  came  out  of  the 
cave,  and  the  spell  was  broken.  Mother,  it's 
the  most  wonderful  lamp  in  the  whole  world." 

"  Have  nothing  to  do  with  the  lamp,  my 
child,  it  is  evil  and  will  bring  harm  to  both 
of  us.      Sell  it." 

"  No,  I  shall  not  sell  it,  mother.  Chance 
has  made  us  know  its  wonderful  power  and  we 
will  use  it  for  our  good," 


KING    ALFRED 

The  King  and  the  Cowherd 

Many  years  ago  the  people  of  England  were 
in  great  trouble. 

The  cruel  Danes  landed  upon  their  shores 
and  tried  to  drive  them  out  of  their  country  and 
capture  the  king. 

Good  King  Alfred  was  a  brave  man.  With 
a  small  army  and  little  money,  he  fought  battle 
after  battle  with  these  savage  people.  But  he 
did  not  succeed  in  driving  them  out  of  England, 
and  at  last  was  forced  to  flee  for  his  life. 
Homeless  and  all  alone,  he  wandered  for  many 
months  through  the  wild  parts  of  his  country. 

At  last  he  said,  ''  I  would  rather  lose  my  life 
fighting  these  Danes  than  die  here  in  the  woods 
from  cold  and  hunger.  I  will  go  to  my  sol- 
diers and  gather  them  together  for  one  last 
battle."  So  the  good  king  left  the  forest  and 
wandered  about,  not  knowing  in  the  least  where 
he  was.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  an 
old  man  driving  his  cattle  home  from  the  field. 

189 


1 90 


DRAMATIC    STORIES 


''  My  good  man,"  said  King  Alfred,  ''  will 
you  allow  me  to  lodge  with  your  cattle  for  the 
night  ?      I  have  neither  house  nor  money." 


"  How  do  I  know  you  will  not  steal  my 
cattle  ? ''  asked  the  old  man,  looking  him  over. 
"  Perhaps  you  are  a  Dane/' 

"  I  am  no  Dane,  my  good  man,''  said  the 
king.      "  I  am  a  Saxon." 

"  Well,  then,  you  are  welcome  to  a  lodging 
to-night.      Perhaps  you  would  like  some  food." 

"  That  I  should,"  said  the  king.  "  I  should 
be  thankful  for  a  crust  of  bread." 

"  Bread  ?  You'll  get  nothing  but  oaten  cakes 
from  my  good  wife  to-night." 

"  I  shall  be  thankful  for  anything  to  eat." 


KING   ALFRED  191 

^^  Follow  me,  then." 

The  old  man  led  the  king  over  a  rough  cattle 
track  to  the  hut  where  he  and  his  good  wife 
lived. 

The  Good  Wife 

"  My  good  wife,  I  have  brought  home  a 
stranger.  He  asked  food  and  shelter  for  the 
night/' 

"  Food  and  shelter  ?  Have  I  nothing  more 
to  do  than  to  give  food  and  shelter  to  a 
stranger  ? "  asked  the  old  dame. 

''  He  is  a  Saxon,  good  wife,  and  it  will  be  a 
charity  to  feed  him,"  said  the  old  man  ;  and  tak- 
ing a  large  oaten  cake,  he  put  it  upon  a  wooden 
plate  and  handed  it  to  the  king.  ''  Eat,  you 
are  hungry,"  he  said.  *^  Your  clothes  are  the 
clothes  of  a  beggar,  but  I  believe  you  are  some- 
thing more  in  disguise  —  perhaps  you  are  a 
lord.      Is  it  true  ?  " 

"  I  am  neither  a  beggar  nor  a  lord.  I  am 
your  King  Alfred,  for  whom  the  Danes  are 
searching.  Do  not  betray  me  to  any  one ;  not 
even  to  your  good  wife." 

**  Not  for  all  the  treasures  in  England,"  cried 
the  old  man. 


iqi  DRAMATIC   STORIES 


The  Oaten  Cakes 


The  king  stayed  all  winter  in  the  hut  with 
the  cowherd  and  his  wife.  He  spent  most  of 
the  time  in  hunting.  One  day  a  storm  came 
up  and  the  king  could  not  go  out  of  doors.  So 
he  set  himself  to  make  a  new  stock  of  arrows, 
while  the  good  wife  kneaded  some  oaten  cake 
for  supper. 

"  Now,  if  you  want  oaten  cake  for  supper, 
stranger,"  said  the  old  woman,  ^*  you  must  leave 
off  mending  your  arrows  and  give  me  some 
help.  These  cakes  must  be  watched.  Do  you 
hear  ? " 

"  Yes,  my  good  dame,  they  shall  be  watched," 
said  the  king. 

"  They  must  be  watched  we//y  for  they  are 
quick  to  burn.      Do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  good  dame,  they  shall  be  watched 
well^''  answered  the  king,  taking  a  minute  to 
look  up  from  the  arrow  he  was  mending. 

"  You  might  as  well  do  that  as  sit  mending 
arrows  and  dreaming  over  the  fire.  I  have 
plenty  to  do  besides  making  cakes,  but  I'm  not 
sure  that  I  should  leave  my  fine  cakes  to  such 
a  lazy  fellow  as  you  are." 


KING   ALFRED 


193 


"  Burnt  and  black,  I  say.     Be  off !  " 


DRAMATIC    STORIES  - 


194  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

''  They  shall  be  watched  carefully,  good 
dame." 

'*  Very  well,  then,  that's  some  work  for  you 
to  do  instead  of  dreaming.  Mind  you,  do  it 
well."  And  the  good  wife  left  the  king  in 
charge  as  she  went  out  of  the  cottage. 

"  Ay,  my  good  woman  !  I  have  plenty  of 
work  to  do,  and  it  must  be  done  well,  or  it  will 
be  worse  for  all  of  us.  Oh,  my  poor  people  ! 
Here  I  am,  hiding  away.  What  can  I  do  to 
help  you  .?     Oh,  if  I  ever  —  " 

At  this  moment  the  old  woman  rushed  into 
the  hut. 

**  The  cakes  are  burning !  I  smelt  them 
burning  before  I  got  to  the  house.  Shame  on 
you*  you  good-for-nothing!  Look  at  them  — 
burnt  black!''  And  with  that  she  slapped  the 
king  on  the  cheek.  '*  Burnt  and  black,  I  say. 
Be  off!  I  shall  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
such  a  lazy  fellow.      Be  off!  " 

The  king  rose  and  walked  toward  the  door 
just  as  a  loud  rap  was  heard.  "  What's  that  ? " 
asked  the  old  woman. 

**  A  stranger,"  answered  the  king,  and  he 
opened  the  door. 

'*  Oh,  my  friend  —  my  good  friend  !  "  said  the 


KING   ALFRED  195 

king,  as  soon  as  he  saw  who  the  stranger  was. 
''  What  news  ?    What  news  ?  " 

*'  Good  news,"  said  the  stranger.  "  We  have 
fought  a  battle  and  have  won." 

'*  This  is  good  news,  indeed,"  said  the  king.    • 

''  You  must  come  with  me.  All  England  is 
asking  for  their  king,"  continued  the  stranger. 

*'  The  king,  the  king,  what  does  it  mean  ? " 
said  the  good  dame,  looking  anxiously  at  the 
tv/o  men. 

''  We  shall  conquer  now.      I  am  ready." 

'^  Mercy  !  the  king,  —  King  Alfred  —  burned 
my  cakes  black,  and  I  boxed  his  ears  for  it  — 
to  think  of  it !      The  king  !      Our  good  king  !  " 

'^  It  is  true,  my  good  dame,  I  let  your 
cakes  burn,  but  you  shall  have  a  gold  piece  for 
every  one.  I  am  ready.  There  is  much  work 
yet  to  be  done."  And  King  Alfred  and  his 
friend  left  the  hut  together. 

^^  Our  good  King  Alfred — ^and  I  never  knew  !  " 
said  the  woman,  as  she  watched  the  king  and  his 
companion  take  the  road  to  the  forest. 


THE    FISHERMAN    AND    THE    GENIE 


The  Fisherman  casts  his  Net 


One  day  a  fisherman  went  out  early  to  fish. 
He  cast  his  net  and  waited  awhile ;  then  he 
drew  it  to  the  shore.  It  was  very  heavy.  **  A 
good  draft  of  fishes  this  time,"  he  thought  as 
he  pulled  hard.  Yet,  when  he  got  it  to  shore, 
he  found  he  had  dragged  up  an  old  basket  filled 
with  mud  and  sand. 

He  threw  his  net  in  again  and  waited. 
When  he  thought  it  was  time  he  drew  it  in 
again.  It  was  heavier  than  before.  "  There's 
no  doubt  about  a  good  haul  this  time,"  he  said 

196 


THE    FISHERMAN   AND    THE    GENIE      197 

to  himself.  But  upon  opening  the  net,  he 
found  it  contained  nothing  but  stones  and  shells 
and  seaweed. 

**  I  shall  try  once  more/'  said  the  fisherman, 
"  for  I  must  get  something  to  take  home  to 
my  wife  and  children."  So  saying,  he  threw 
the  net  in  for  the  third  time  and  waited.  Once 
more  the  net  was  so  heavy  that  he  could  scarcely 
draw  it  in.      ''  Fortune  is  with  me  this  time." 

At  last  he  got  it  in.  "  What's  this  ?  What 
have  I  brought  up  in  my  net  this  time  ? "  He 
looked  and  found  he  had  brought  up  a  copper 
jar,  with  a  stopper  to  it.  He  shook  the  jar,  but 
it  seemed  empty.  "  Strange,  indeed  !  Out  with 
the  stopper  !  " 

He  looked  into  the  jar,  but  could  see  nothing. 
"  Empty  !  At  any  rate  I  can  sell  it  in  the 
market  where  I  may  get  enough  for  it  to  buy 
some  corn."  Just  as  he  finished  speaking  he  saw 
a  light  smoke  come  out  of  the  jar  and  rise 
slowly.  Up,  up  it  went  and  as  it  rose  it  grew 
thicker  and  heavier  until  it  was  a  great  column. 
"  Hm,  a  cloud  of  smoke  for  all  my  trouble." 
The  column  changed  slowly  and  took  the  form 
of  a  great  giant,  the  great  giant  changed  slowly 
and  took  the  form  of  a  genie. 


198  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

The  Ungrateful  Genie 

"  Ah,  it's  good  to  be  free,  again,"  said  the 
genie,  stretching  himself.  ''  And  now,  fisher- 
man, I  am  going  to  kill  you." 

"  Kill  me  !  "  said  the  fisherman,  ''  did  I  not 
free  you  from  the  jar .?  Why  do  you  wish  to 
kill  me  ? " 

^'  I  will  tell  you.  Three  hundred  years  ago 
I  was  put  into  that  jar  for  punishment.  I 
would  not  obey  the  laws  of  the  king,  and  so  I 
was  shut  up  in  that  jar  and  the  jar  was  given  to 
a  genie,  who  threw  it  into  the  sea.  I  hoped 
that  some  one  would  fish  up  the  jar  and  set  me 
free." 

"  Alas,  that  I  should  have  done  it !  "  said  the 
fisherman. 

"  For  one  hundred  years  I  was  a  prisoner  in 
the  jar.  I  would  have  made  the  one  who  set 
me  free  a  rich  man,  but  no  one  came.  Another 
hundred  years  went  by  and  still  I  lay  there  a 
prisoner  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  I  would 
have  made  the  one  who  set  me  free  during 
that  time  a  im^.  Still  no  one  came.  Then 
I  lost  patience.  I  waited  another  hundred  years 
—  and  then  I  swore  a  great  oath  that  I  would 


THE    FISHERMAN    AND    THE    GENIE      199 

kill  the  one  who  set  me  free.      I  will  now  kill 
you." 

"  Have   mercy,    genie.      If  I    had   not   freed 


you,  you  would  still  be  a  prisoner." 

**  Say  no  more.      I  am  going  to  kill  you." 


200  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

The  Fisherman  uses  his  Wits 

"  If  you  mean  to  kill  me,  then  I  must  die/' 
said  the  poor  fisherman.  "  But  before  I  die  let 
me  ask  you  one  question." 

"  One  question,  then.      Make  haste." 

*'  Did  you  really  come  out  of  that  jar  ?  " 

"  How  can  you  ask  me  ?     Certainly  I  did." 

"  I  cannot  believe  it.  You  are  so  big  and  the 
jar  is  so  small.  How  could  such  a  mighty  genie 
as  you  are  get  into  such  a  little  jar  ?  No,  I  can- 
not believe  it." 

"  You  do  not  believe  it  ?  " 

"  No,  I  must  see  you  do  it  with  my  own 
eyes." 

"  See  me  do  it,  then." 

At  that,  the  genie  folded  himself  once  more 
in  a  thick  veil  of  smoke,  which  decended  slowly 
into  the  jar  until  not  one  bit  of  the  cloud  could 
be  seen. 

''Now,  do  you  believe  it?"  came  a  voice 
from  inside  the  jar. 

''  Indeed  I  do,"  said  the  fisherman,  as  he 
clapped  the  stopper  on  the  jar,  "  and  I  think 
you'd  better  stay  right  where  you  are  for  another 
hundred  years." 


THE    KNIGHT    OF    THE    SILVER 
SHIELD 

Sir  Roland  is  chosen  Guard 

There  was  once  a  splendid  castle  in  a  forest. 
The  forest  was  dark  and  dangerous  and  many 
cruel  giants  lived  in  it.  In  this  castle  lived  a 
company  of  knights  who  were  kept  there  to 
help  travelers  passing  through  the  forest  and  to 
fight  with  the  giants  whenever  they  could. 

Each  of  these  knights  wore  a  beautiful  suit 
of  armor  and  carried  a  long  spear,  while  over 
his  helmet  there  floated  a  great  red  plume.  But 
the  most  wonderful  thing  about  the  knights' 
armor  was  their  shields.  They  were  made  of 
silver,  and  when  any  of  the  knights  fought  a 
hard  battle  and  won  it,  or  when  he  went  on 
some  hard  errand  for  the  lord  of  the  castle  and 
was  successful,  his  shield  would  grow  brighter, 
and  in  the  center  of  it  one  could  see  something 
like  a  golden  star  shining  in  its  very  heart. 

There  came  a  time  when  the  worst  of  the 
giants   made   ready    to    fight    the    knights.      Sir 


202  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

Roland,  a  young  knight,  was  most  eager  for  this 
battle,  which,  he  thought,  would  be  the  great 
opportunity  of  his  life.  He  hoped  that  he 
would  be  put  in  the  most  dangerous  place  of  all. 

When  the  lord  of  the  castle  came  to  Sir 
Roland,  he  said :  ''  One  brave  knight  must  stay 
behind  and  guard  the  gateway  of  the  castle. 
It  is  you.  Sir  Roland.  You  are  one  of  the 
youngest,  and  I  have  chosen  you  for  this." 

Sir  Roland  was  disappointed,  but  he  said  noth- 
ing. He  went  quietly  to  look  after  his  duties 
at  the  gateway.  "  Keep  guard  over  the  gate 
until  we  return,  and  let  no  one  enter  the  castle," 
said  the  lord  of  the  castle  as  he  rode  away  with 
the  knights. 

Sir  Roland  at  the  Gateway 

Sir  Roland  stood  looking  after  them  thinking 
how  happy  he  would  be  if  he  were  on  the  way 
to  battle  with  them.  At  last  he  saw  one  of  the 
knights  come  limping  down  the  path.  "  I 
have  been  hurt,"  he  said,  "  so  that  I  can  fight 
no  more.  But  I  could  watch  at  this  gate  for 
you  if  you  would  like  to  go  back  in  my  place." 

"  I  should  like  to  go,"  said  Sir  Roland,  "  but 


THE    KNIGHT    OF   THE   SILVER   SHIELD      203 

a  knight  belongs  where  his  lord  has  put  him. 
My  place  is  here  at  the  gate,  and  I  cannot  open 
it  for  you.      Your  place  is  at  the  battle.'' 

The  knight  turned  about  and  went  into  the 
forest. 

Then  there  came  an  old  beggar  woman  down^ 
the  path  to  the  castle.      She  asked  Sir  Roland  if 


she  might  come  in  and  have  some  food.  Sir 
Roland  told  her  that  no  one  could  enter  the 
castle  that  day,  but  he  said  that  he  would  send 
a  servant  out  to  her  with  food.  ^'  You  may  sit 
and  rest  as  long  as  you  wish." 

*^  I  have  been  in  the  forest  where  the  battle 
is  going  on,''  she  said,  while  waiting  for  her 
food. 


204  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

*'  And  how  do  you  think  it  is  going  ? ''  asked 
Sir  Roland. 

"  Badly  for  the  knights,  I  am  afraid.  The 
giants  are  fighting  hard.  I  should  think  you  had 
better  go  and  help  your  friends." 

"  I  should  like  to  go,  indeed,"  said  Sir  Ro- 
land, "  but  I  am  set  to  guard  the  gateway  of 
the  castle  and  I  cannot  leave." 

^*  One  fresh  knight  would  make  a  great  differ- 
ence. I  suppose  that  you  are  one  of  the  kind 
of  knights  who  like  to  keep  out  of  the  fighting. 
You  are  lucky  to  have  so  good  an  excuse  for 
staying  at  home."  And  she  laughed  as  she  took 
the  food  given  to  her  and  went  away. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  heard  some  one 
calling  outside.  He  opened  the  gate  and  saw  a 
little  old  man  standing  at  the  other  end  of  the 
drawbridge.  "  Why  are  you  knocking  here  ?  " 
asked  Sir  Roland.     "The  castle  is  closed  to-day." 

"  Are  you  Sir  Roland  ?"  asked  the  little  old  man. 

"  Yes,"  said  Sir  Roland. 

"  Then  you  ought  not  to  be  staying  here 
when  your  lord  and  his  knights  are  having  so 
hard  a  struggle  with  the  giants.  Listen  to  me. 
I  have  brought  you  a  magic  sword.  See  !  This 
is  the  sword  of  all  swords.      It  is  for  you.      Leave 


THE    KNIGHT   OF   THE   SILVER   SHIELD      205 

your  idling  here  by  the  castle  gate  and  carry  it 
to  the  battle.  Nothing  can  stand  before  it. 
When  you  lift  it  the  giants  will  fall  back,  your 
lord  will  be  saved,  and  you  will  be  the  victorious 
knight  and  soon  become  lord  of  this  castle.'' 

It  seemed  so  wonderful  to  Sir  Roland  that 
the  sword  should  be  brought  to  him,  that  he 
reached  out  his  hand  as  though  he  would  take 
it.  As  he  did  so  the  little  old  man  came  for- 
ward as  if  to  go  into  the  castle.  ''  It  is  for  you  ; 
take  it  and  win." 


2o6  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

Just  then  Sir  Roland  remembered  that  he  had 
been  set  to  guard  the  gate.  "  No,"  he  called 
out  so  loudly  that  the  old  man  stopped  suddenly. 
He  struck  the  great  bell  and  the  servants  inside 
began  to  pull  the  chains  of  the  drawbridge. 
''  You  cannot  come  across  this  drawbridge." 

Then  Sir  Roland  saw  a  wonderful  thing. 
The  little  old  man  threw  off  his  cloak.  As  he 
did  so  he  grew  bigger  and  bigger  until  he  was 
as  tall  as  any  giant  in  the  forest.  Then  Sir 
Roland  knew  that  this  must  be  one  of  the  giants, 
and  that  he  had  come  to  make  his  way  into  the 
castle  while  the  knights  were  fighting.  The 
giant  shook  his  fist  and,  knowing  that  he  could 
do  nothing  more,  he  went  back  into  the  forest. 

''I  shall  not  open  the  gate  again,"  said  Sir 
Roland.  Just  then  he  heard  the  sound  that 
made  him  spring  forward  in  joy.  It  was  the 
bugle  of  the  lord  of  the  castle  and  his  knights. 
He  was  sure  they  had  won  the  fight.  So  he 
gave  the  signal  to  let  down  the  drawbridge  and 
he  greeted  them  all  as  they  passed  in  over  the 
bridge.  When  he  had  closed  the  gate  and 
fastened  it  he  followed  them  into  the  hall  of  the 
castle. 


THE    KNIGHT    OF    THE    SILVER   SHIELD      207 


The  Golden  Star 


The  lord  of  the  castle  took  his  place  on  the 
highest  seat,  with  the  other  knights  about  him. 
Sir  Roland  came  forward  to  give  up  the  key  of 
the  gate  and  to  tell  what  he  had  done  that  day. 
The  lord  of  the  castle  bowed  to  him  as  a  sign 
to  begin,  but  just  as  he  began  to  speak,  one  of 
the  knights  cried  out :  — 

"  The  shield  !  The  shield  !  Sir  Roland's 
shield  !  " 

Every  one  turned  and  looked  at  the  shield 
which  Sir  Roland  carried  on  his  left  arm. 
There,  shining  from  the  center,  was  the  golden 
star  of  knighthood. 


2o8  r     f^'IATIC    STORIES 

''  Speak,  Sir  Knight,"  said  the  lord  of  the 
castle.  ''  Tell  us  all  that  happened  to-day  at  the 
gate.  Were  you  attacked  ?  Did  any  giants 
come  ?      Did  you  fight  them  alone  ? '' 

"No,  my  lord,"  said  Sir  Roland, '*  only  one 
giant  has  been  here  and  he  went  away  silently 
when  he  found  he  could  not  enter."  Then  he 
told  them  what  had  happened  through  the  day. 

''  Men  may  make  mistakes,"  said  the  lord  of 
the  castle,  "  but  our  silver  shields,  never  !  Sir 
Roland  has  fought  and  won  the  hardest  battle 
of  all  to-day." 


THE    FEAST    OF    LANTERNS 


Wang  Chi  goes  to  the  Mountain 


Wang  Chi  was  only  a  poor  man,  but  he  was 
happy  with  a  wife  and  two  children  to  love. 
He  worked  all  day  in  the  fields  and  was  con- 
tent to  come  home  at  night  to  the  bowl  of  rice 
which  his  wife  always  had  ready  for  him. 

One  morning  as  he  was  setting  out  to  his 
work,  his  little  son,  Han  Chung,  came  running 
out  of  the  cottage  after  him.  "  Father,"  he 
called,  ''  mother  wants  you  to  bring  home  some 
firewood." 


DRAMATIC    STORIES I  4 


209 


210  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  up  on  the  mountain  for 
it  at  noon,"  said  Wang  Chi.  ''  Go  and  bring 
me  my  ax,  Han  Chung." 

"  But  you  won't  stay  long,  will  you,  father  ? " 
asked  little  Ho-Seen-Ko,  as  she  came  toward 
him.  "  Remember  it  is  the  Feast  of  Lanterns 
to-night,  and  we  want  you  to  come  back  and 
light  ours  for  us.  Look  !  "  She  held  up  her 
lantern  for  her  father  to  see,  "  Red,  black,  and 
yellow  !  " 

"  It  is  very  pretty,  my  child.  But  I  must  be 
off.  Here  comes  Han  Chung  with  my  ax. 
Thank  you,  my  boy." 

"  See  my  lantern,  big,  round,  and  all  crimson," 
said  Han  Chung. 

"  They  are  both  pretty,  very  pretty.  Pm  not 
likely  to  forget.  You  children  have  talked  of 
nothing  else  for  a  month.  I  shall  be  back  in 
time  to  light  them,  never  fear,"  and  off  he  went. 

"  Remember,  father,"  called  the  children  as 
they  watched  him  make  his  way  across  the 
fields.      "  Dont  fall  asleep  on  the  mountain.^^ 

The  Genii  of  the  Mountain 

Wang  Chi  started  up  the  mountain  slope  to 
find   a   small  tree  for  firewood.      He  walked  a 


THE    FEAST    OF    LANTERNS 


211 


The  Genii  of  the  Mountain. 


212  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

long,  long  way,  and  at  last  saw  one  growing  at 
the  mouth  of  a  cave. 

'*  This  will  be  just  the  thing,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "Til  peep  into  this  cave  first  to  see 
if  it  is  empty."  He  looked  in.  ''  Some  one 
is  here.  It  is  so  dark  I  cannot  make  out  who 
it  is.  Now  I  see !  Ah,  two  old  men  playing 
chess.  What  long  white  beards  they  have, 
ril  just  step  into  the  cave.  As  soon  as  they  look 
up  I  can  ask  them  if  I  may  chop  down  a  tree." 

He  went  in  and  stood  watching  the  two 
men  play.  They  did  not  appear  to  see  him. 
**  These  are  strange  creatures,"  he  said  half 
aloud.  "  They  do  not  seem  to  know  that  I  am 
here."  He  became  so  interested  in  the  game 
that  he  put  down  his  ax  and  sat  on  the  floor  so 
that  he  would  be  better  able  to  watch  it. 

Wang  Chi  could  now  see  clearly  two  old 
men  seated  on  the  ground  before  a  stone  on 
which  rested  a  chessboard.  On  one  corner  of 
the  chessboard  lay  a  heap  of  small  brown  objects 
which  looked  to  him  more  like  date  stones  than 
anything  else.  Every  few  minutes  each  player 
put  one  of  the  brown  objects  into  his  mouth, 
and,  without  saying  a  word,  went  on  with  the 
game. 


THE    FEAST    OF   LANTERNS  213 

*'  Date  stones  ? "  asked  Wang  Chi,  pointing. 
The  two  old  men  looked  up,  and,  for  the  first 
time,  saw  Wang  Chi. 

"  Better,"  said  one,  shaking  his  head. 

'^  More  wonderful,"  said  the  second,  taking 
one,  and  at  the  same  time  putting  one  into 
Wang  Chi's  mouth. 

**  That  was  a  delicious  sweetmeat,  stranger," 
said  Wang  Chi.  '^  I  was  hungry  and  thirsty 
when  I  came  into  this  cave,  but  it  has  taken 
both  my  hunger  and  thirst  away.  I  feel  quite 
comforted  and  refreshed.  I  thank  you.  It 
is  wonderful,  stranger.  Things  seem  to  be 
changed  since  I  ate  your  dainty  morsel.  I  see 
your  beards  have  grown  longer,  they  grow 
longer  and  longer,  —  they  sweep  the  floor  of 
the  cave  —  they  have  even  found  their  way  out 
of  the  door.  I  hope  my  beard  will  never  grow 
as  quickly,"  said  Wang  Chi  as  he  rose  to  go. 

"  Our  beards  have  not  grown  quickly,  young 
man,"  said  one  of  the  old  men. 

**  How  long  is  it  since  you  came  here  ?*" 
asked  the  other. 

^*  About  half  an  hour,"  said  Wang  Chi. 
"  But  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  My  ax 
crumbles  to  dust  beneath  my  fingers." 


214  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  first  one  of  the 
players  as  he  pointed  to  the  little  brown  sweet- 
meats on  the  table.  "  Half  an  hour  or  half  a 
century  are  all  alike  to  him  who  tastes  of  these." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  second.  "  Go 
down  into  your  village  and  see  what  has  hap- 
pened since  you  left  it."  Wang  Chi  went 
quickly  out  of  the  cave  down  the  mountain 
toward  his  home. 

WANG  Chi  goes  back  to  his  Village 

He  found  a  busy  town  where  his  own  village 
had  been.  ''  How  strange  it  all  seems.  Am  I 
myself?  Where  is  my  wife?  Where  are  Han 
Chung  and  Ho-Seen-Ko  ?  Strange  faces  every- 
where. Surely,  this  is  my  home  I  left  but  this 
morning.  It  is  the  Feast  of  the  Lanterns. 
They  are  making  ready  everywhere  for  the 
procession.  What  has  happened  ? "  In  vain 
he  looked  for  his  house,  his  wife,  his  children. 

As  he  wandered  along,  he  met  a  very,  very 
old  woman. 

"  My  good  woman,"  he  said,  ''  can  you  tell 
me  where  to  find  my  wife  and  children,  Han 
Chung  and  Ho-Seen-Ko  ?  " 

"  Han  Chung  and  Ho-Seen-Ko  •?     I  remember 


THE    FEAST    OF    LANTERNS  215 

hearing  those  names  long  ago,"  said  the  good 
woman.  "  Ah,  yes !  I  well  remember  my 
grandmother  saying  that  when  she  was  a  tiny 
girl,  a  poor  young  man  went  to  the  forest  on 
the  mountain  to  chop  firewood.  He  was 
spirited  away  by  the  genii  of  the  mountain 
on  the  day  of  the  Feast  of  Lanterns,  leaving 
his  wife  and  two  little  children.  And  he 
never  came  back." 

^'  Alas,  alas,  what  has  happened  since  I  left 
here  ? "  said  poor  Wang  Chi.  As  he  went  on 
his  way,  with  a  heavy  heart,  he  met  a  man 
carrying  an  armful  of  colored  lanterns  home  for 
his  children. 

*'  You  have  pretty  lanterns,  stranger  —  red, 
black,  and  yellow,  and  one  all  crimson.  Would 
that  I  could  share  the  Feast  with  my  children 
to-night." 

''  Your  children  ?  "  said  the  stranger. 

"  Yes,  my  Han  Chung  and  Ho-Seen-Ko. 
Do  you  not  know  them  ?  Have  you  never 
heard  their  names  ?  " 

"Ah,   Han  Chung  and    Ho-Seen-Ko !      Yes 
they  will    be    in    the   procession    to-night   with 
their  mother.     Wait  here  and  you  will  see  them 
on  their  way  to  join  the  others."     Wang  Chi 


2i6  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

waited.  At  last  he  saw  three  figures  come  down 
the  street.  A  boy  and  a  girl,  dressed  like  his 
own  children,  were  walking  on  either  side  of  a 
young  woman. 


He  went  quickly  toward  them.  But  he  soon 
discovered  his  mistake.  '*  These  are  not  my 
wife  and  children.  What  does  all  this  mean  ? 
Who  are  you  ?  You  are  dressed  like  my  wife 
and  children  and  yet  you  are  not  they." 

"  We  do  this  every  year  at  the  Feast  of  the 
Lantern  in  memory  of  poor  little  Han  Chung 
and  Ho-Seen-Ko  and  their  mother." 

"  And  what  of  them  ? "  asked  Wang  Chi. 

*'  Ah,  many,  many  years  ago  their  poor  father 


THE   FEAST    OF   LANTERNS  217 

was  spirited  away  by  the  genii  of  the  mountain, 
on  the  night  of  the  Feast  of  Lanterns,  leaving 
them  with  little  food  to  eat.  We  do  this  to 
remind  people  to  care  for  those  who  are  left 
fatherless." 

Poor  Wang  Chi  turned  with  a  heavy  heart. 
''  It  is  all  changed  and  I  am  changed.  What 
does  it  mean  ?  I  will  go  back  to  the  mountain 
and  ask  the  old  men  to  help  me." 

Wang  Chi  goes  back  to  the  Cave 

"  Strangers,"  said  Wang  Chi,  "  I  have  come 
to  you  for  help.  I  was  myself  when  I  came  to 
your  cave  this  morning,  but  I  have  changed 
since  then  and  everything  else  has  changed  and 
I  come  back  to  you  with  a  heavy  heart." 

"  We  can  do  nothing  for  you,"  said  one  of 
the  players. 

"  Go  away  and  do  not  disturb  us,"  said  the 
other. 

But  Wang  Chi  would  not  go. 

'*  I  beg  of  you,  strangers.  I  have  no  home, 
no  wife,  no  children." 

**  Very  well,  what  is  it  you  wish  ? " 

"  I  want  to  go  back  to  the  days  when  my 
wife  and  children  were  here." 


21 8  DRAMATIC   STORIES 

"  Then  ycxi  must  be  willing  to  do  as  we  tell 
you." 

''  I  will  do  anything  in  the  world  to  get  back 
my  family." 

"You  must  go  to  the  White  Hare  of  the 
Moon  and  ask  him  for  a  bottle  of  the  water  of 
life,"  said  one.  "If  you  drink  that  you  will 
live  forever." 

"  But  I  do  not  want  to  live  forever.  I  wish  to 
go  back  and  live  in  the  days  when  my  wife  and 
children  were  here." 

"Go  to  the  Sky  Dragon  then,"  said  the 
other,  "get  some  of  the  water  out  of  his 
mouth." 

"  And  where  are  they  to  be  found  ? "  asked 
Wang  Chi. 

"  In  the  moon,  of  course,"  said  one. 

"In  the  sky,  of  course,"  said  the  other.  "Go 
now,  and  leave  us  in  peace." 

The  Sky  Dragon 

After  a  long  journey  through  the  air,  Wang 
Chi  reached  the  Sky  Dragon's  cloud  cave.  "  I 
must  bring  the  Dragon  out  and  make  him  breathe 
water  instead  of  fire.  Til  strike  a  light  and  soon 
the  grass  in  front   of  his  cave   will  be  ablaze." 


THE   FEAST    OF   LANTERNS  219 

The  Sky  Dragon  put  his  head  out  to  see  what 
was  the  matter. 

^^  Ho,  ho/'  said  the  Dragon  when  he  saw 
what  Wang  Chi  had  done.  ^'  I  can  soon  change 
all  that.''      He  breathed,  and  a  stream  of  water 


i 

I^^ 

i 

came  from  his  mouth.      Wang  Chi  soon  filled 
a  bottle, 

"  Good  fortune  !  "  said  Wang  Chi.  ''  Now  to 
the  White  Hare  of  the  Moon."  With  that  he 
sailed  away. 

The  White  Hare  of  the  Moon 

When  Wang  Chi  reached  the  hut  where  the 
White  Hare  of  the  Moon  lived  he  knocked  at 
the  door.  ''  Come  in,"  said  the  White  Hare. 
Wang  Chi  went  into  the  hut. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  " 


220  DRAMATIC    STORIES 

**  I  have  come  to  you  for  a  bottle  of  the  water 
of  Ufe/'  said  Wang  Chi. 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  said  the  White  Hare.  Then 
he  opened  two  windows  at  the  back  of  the 
hut.  ''  Come,  sir,  look  through  each  one  of 
these  windows  in  turn  and  tell  me  what  you 
see." 

Wang  Chi  went  to  the  first  window.  "  I 
can  see  a  great  many  homes,  and  people,  and 
streets.  Why,  this  is  the  town  I  was  in  yester- 
day. It  has  taken  the  place  of  my  old  village, 
how  can  this  be  ? " 

''  Oh,  that  is  my  secret,"  said  the  wise  old 
Hare.      "Now  do  you  want  to  go  back  there?" 

''No,  no,"  said  Wang  Chi,  shaking  his  head. 

"  Then  close  the  window.  That  is  the  win- 
dow of  the  Present.  Now  look  through  the 
other.  It  is  the  window  of  the  Past.  Tell  me 
what  you  see." 

"  I  see  my  dear  own  little  village  and  my  wife. 
And  there  are  Han  Chung  and  Ho-Seen-Ko 
jumping  about  her  as  she  hangs  up  the  colored 
lanterns  for  the  feast  to-night.  Let  me  go  to 
them,"  cried  Wang  Chi. 

''  You  can't  do  that  till  you  get  a  bottle  of 
water  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sky  Dragon." 


THE   FEAST   OF   LANTERNS  221 

"  I  have  it  here." 

"  Then  give  it  to  me." 

He  took  the  bottle  and  poured  a  few  drops 
of  it  into  a  glass  which  was  half  filled  with 
water  of  life. 

''  Drink  this  and  you'll  live  once  more  in  the 
past.  You  will  find  your  own  dear  village 
again  and  your  wife  and  children  just  as  they 
were  the  morning  you  left  them  to  go  to  the 
mountain." 

Wang  Chi  drank  every  drop.  The  moment 
he  did  so  the  window  grew  larger.  "  I  see 
some  steps  leading  down  to  a  village  street.  It 
is  my  own  dear  little  village."  He  rushed 
through  it  and  ran  toward  his  home. 

A  Feast  of  Lanterns  at  Home 

"  Father  won't  be  in  time  to  light  the  lanterns 
after  all,"  said  Han  Chung  to  his  little  sister. 
"  Something  keeps  him  on  the  mountain." 

''  I  will  take  the  taper,  my  children,  and 
light  the  lanterns  over  the  door,"  said  the 
mother. 

*'  Why,  here  is  father  now,"  called  out  Ho- 
Seen-Ko.  "  What  has  kept  you  so  long, 
father?" 


222 


DRAMATIC   STORIES 


"  We  were  about  to  light  the  lanterns/'  said 
Han    Chung.      "  Where   have  you   been  ?  "  and 


the  children  wondered  why  he  embraced  them 
so  eagerly. 

''  Never  mind  about  that  now.  I  will  tell 
you  some  other  time.  Come,  let's  light  all  the 
lanterns  for  the  procession  and  ,we  will  make 
this  the  merriest  feast  we  have  ever  had." 


NOTE    TO    TEACHERS 

Any  exercise  which  helps  toward  making 
reading  a  real  communication  to  the  child, 
furthers  a  sympathetic  approach  to  a  vivid 
reality  without  which  clear  and  effective  reading 
is  impossible.  Dramatization,  more  than  any 
other  form  of  exercise,  gives  the  child  an  oppor- 
tunity to  enter  into  the  life  of  the  characters  in 
the  story  ;  in  fact,  through  his  acting,  he  be- 
comes himself  a  part  of  every  incident  and  event 
of  which  he  has  read.  It  is  in  this  way  that 
dramatizing,  if  used  at  all,  can  be  made  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  intelligent  and  expressive  reading. 

The  division  of  the  stories,  in  the  printing, 
into  dramatic  units,  is  merely  a  device  to  help  in 
planning  the  play.  The  staging  should  be  the 
simplest ;  only  such  scant  material  as  the  class- 
room affords  need  be  used.  To  the  children 
''The  play's  the  thing." 

Suggestions : 

( I )  Read  the  story  through  as  a  regular 
reading  lesson. 

223 


224  NOTE   TO   TEACHERS 

(2)  Tell  the  story  in  your  own  words. 

(3)  How  many  characters?      Name  them. 

(4)  Tell  one  thing  you  have  learned  about 
each.  Ex.  sly  fox,  haughty  hare,  brave  lion,  etc. 
If  you  were  playing  these  parts,  how  would  you 
represent  the  sly  fox  ;  haughty  hare ;  the  brave 
lion  ? 

(5]  What  season  of  the  year  is  it?  What 
action  would  give  a  hint  of  spring  ?  of  winter  ? 
of  summer  ?  etc. 

(6)  Play  the  story  from  memory. 

(7)  Read  it  again  as  a  regular  reading  lesson. 
As  a  basis  for  oral  and  written  English  work 

these  stories  may  be  very  helpful. 


ETURN 


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DUE 

AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

m  ^4  1978 

■^ , 

^*    ^3   78 

iBBiiW 

DRAANO  DD6    40m  10 '77      UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 

BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


LD  21-100m-2,'55 
(B139s22)476 


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